8 Unique Thanksgiving Traditions – You Should Make Your Own

Awww… there is nothing like Thanksgiving – the smells, the family, the fun, the food, the traditions. Traditions are what we love most about the holidays, in the rapidly-changing world that we live in they are the one thing that we can count on to rarely change. From the quirky family favourites to the time-honored classics traditions remind us of the simpler times with family and friends and times of the past that have slipped through our fingers.

So How Does A Tradition Become A Tradition?

Someone starts it, of course… So whether you’re a traditionalist or just starting your holiday history, these new Thanksgiving traditions are certain to change your holiday for the better.

Pass Down a Family Recipe — Or Make a New One

Sure everyone loves Grandma’s Chestnut Stuffing or Aunt Mary’s Caramel Pumpkin Pie but your Thanksgiving traditions do not have to stop there. If you were passed down old family recipe cards or a favorite family cookbook now is the perfect time to pull it out and teach someone you love how to make it for themselves and keep the tradition alive.

Does no family favourite in your past? No worries. There is no time like the present to start a new tradition. Find a new recipe and start your fresh tradition this Thanksgiving.

Create a Momento

Lay out a sheet of butcher paper on an unused cabinet or hang one on the wall for all of your guests to sign. At the end of the day, ask everyone to write on it what their favourite part of the Thanksgiving festivities was, then fold the paper up and tuck it away somewhere special. Next year, lay the old sheets out along with the new ones for everyone to look back on and remember Thanksgiving's past, like a time capsule in ink and paper.

Teach Each Other A Skill

Everyone has something special, a talent or skill that they can show off to the family. From Uncle John’s juggling act or Cousin Jenny’s origami swan, everyone can teach someone something in the family.

The idea behind this is to get to know everyone a little bit better and to learn how to do something a bit unique, fun, or ridiculous. We all can learn something new and get to know each other better in the process. So pass on that unique, quirky or useful trick, talent, skill, or fact that people never knew they needed to know. It’s fun!!

Remember Lost Loved Ones

Holidays can be hard, especially as you age, you begin to lose people that you loved and held dear. The holidays seem to remind us of those we have lost and used to share intimate moments. Their empty chair sitting there as a constant reminder that they are not with us anymore.

The holidays do not have to be painful reminders but can be a celebration of those we love. Take a moment to remember them by allowing everyone to share a memory of something they did or a moment from their past with them. Celebrate their memory and take time to acknowledge them and who they were to you.

Give the Gift of Tupperware

Everyone loves when the guests surprise them by bringing a “Hostess Gift.” You know the usual a nice bottle of wine or something of the sort but there is something that the Host usually runs out of at the end of the festivities and that is Tupperware.

This Thanksgiving try bringing the host the gift of Tupperware so that they can pack up all that leftover turkey and stuffing and if they then so choose can send it home with their family and friends and share all the “Thanksgiving Leftover Love.”

Do a Wishbone Scavenger Hunt

Ok so now all the adults are in a food coma and the kids are rearing to go. So here is a fun tradition. Get one of the older teens to go hide the wishbone and then send the younger kids to go find it. The lucky kid who finds it gets a special little gift or treat. It’s fun and it helps to get some of the kid's energy out while the adults are watching the big game or whatever it is you do on this day of festivities.

Take a Hike

One of our family's favourite things to do after a large Thanksgiving Feast is to get outside and take in some fresh air and see the beautiful fall foliage. It’s a great way to burn off a few calories and enjoy the gorgeous fall weather before the old Jack Frost comes nipping at our noses.

Play a Thankful Guessing Game

Before the festivities begin have everyone write down something that they are thankful for and place them in a jar. After the meal take turns drawing out a slip of paper and reading the card. Now everyone guesses to see if you wrote what on the slip of paper. This is a fun way to see how much you know about each other and maybe even to learn something fun and new.