How to Choose a New Thanksgiving Tradition for Your Family
November is here with the grey branches of maple trees reaching heavenward and once-vibrant fields of wildflowers wielding frost-burned tufts in unison. We pull the Thanksgiving decorations from the basement shelves and start thinking about instituting a new and meaningful Thanksgiving tradition for our family.
It seems appropriate that this month of transition is also culturally known as the month for giving thanks. We are often most desperately in need of reminders to practice gratitude when the tides are shifting in our lives. November has always felt like a changing of the tides for me.
November is the time when the kids bound from the bus wearing feathers in their hair and carrying paper Pilgrim hats. Pumpkins and hay bales adorn neighborhood stoops. Our hearts overflow with gratitude for what is good, and all the while, we brace ourselves for the onslaught of winter.
How to Choose a New Thanksgiving Tradition
As we aim to establish this month as a time for giving thanks in our home, I’ve been combing through resources in search of some family-friendly Thanksgiving traditions. I’m sharing some of my favorites today. Our family is strongly steeped in tradition at other times of the year, but what better holiday to richly embrace than a holiday built around giving thanks?
Here are seven very ideas to inspire your family to start a new Thanksgiving tradition this year:
Begin the Thanksgiving Tradition of Gratitude Stones
Decorate small stones with either paint or a Mod Podge painted over tissue paper. These stones are reminders to give thanks and can be used in this way: Pass a stone around the dinner table, and the person holding the stone thinks of a reason to give thanks; share them with friends and include a note about why you’re thankful for that person; write words on the stones and collect them in a jar to show what you are grateful for as a family.
Create Gratitude Crosses
Gratitude Crosses are a great way to remember that we are most thankful for the work of Christ in our lives. Purchase a gratitude cross kit or make one on your own using foam or paper cut-outs according the attached link. The premise is this: Decorate a small cross with reasons to give thanks and hang it as a decoration. Get as creative as you wish.
Start the Thanksgiving Tradition of Gratitude Trees
This is a fun idea for the outdoor lovers, and it’s a great way to collect many reasons for gratitude. Either create a tree silhouette and tape it to the wall or use real tree branches in a vase or pot. Tape or hang paper cut-out leaves on the tree and write reasons to give thanks on the leaves. This link for a Thankful Tree is a helpful example.
Begin the Thanksgiving Tradition of Playing Gratitude Games
For families who thrive on activities instead of crafts, Gratitude Games are a great Thanksgiving tradition to remind everyone that it is a season for giving thanks. The link above is designed to help families give thanks together by playing Pick-up Sticks and giving thanks based on the color of stick.
Hang a Give Thanks Garland
If a gratitude tree isn’t your thing, or if your toddler insists on pulling the tree over and chewing on the branches, make your own Give thanks garland and write your reasons to give thanks on the leaves.
Embark on 30 Days of Gratitude
The 30 days of gratitude printout will guide you in a way to practice gratitude every day of the month. We’re called to give thanks in all circumstances, and this tool is a useful way of applying the call to our lives daily.
Begin the Thanksgiving Tradition of Opening Your Home
Consider inviting friends over to share in the traditions. Host a neighborhood fall picnic on a sunny evening. Write notes to friends and tell them why you’re thankful for them, and intentionally aim to give thanks for those who live under your own roof. It’s easy to overlook those closest to us. (For a list of easy ways to show hospitality, check out this post.)
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For a toolkit of practical ideas for inviting others into your home and beginning positive traditions all year long, click here to receive your free Complete Toolkit for Hospitality without Perfection. The kit includes twenty easy ways to extend hospitality, games, activities, recipes, conversation starters, and more. 
