6 Thanksgiving Games and Traditions That Will Make You Grateful to Be Together
Kenna Wagner
Kenna’s career is dedicated to exceeding the buyers or sellers expectations and to always do what is right for the customer…
Kenna’s career is dedicated to exceeding the buyers or sellers expectations and to always do what is right for the customer…
I love it when…
the air turns crisp with cold in Utah County and the trees begin losing their leaves. Those scenes remind me that Thanksgiving is coming, and with it comes classic family recipes, decadent desserts, and time with family and friends. But the chaos of the dinner preparations can sometimes cause us to overlook the “thanks” in Thanksgiving. Here are a few fun and simple ways to add gratitude back into your family celebrations.
1. Play the Thanking Game
Grab a basket or jar and strips of paper and have everyone in the family write down one thing they are grateful for. Before you serve dessert, read the slips of paper and have everyone guess who wrote each answer. The person with the most right answers wins a prize or first choice at dessert!
2. Keep a Gratitude Journal in Your Family Room or Make Some Art
If you want to spread the Thanksgiving spirit throughout November, set a family gratitude journal in a visible place in your home where family members can jot down thoughts whenever they have the time. Read the journal together at Thanksgiving. Or, if your family likes creative projects, have every member of the family create a piece of art that represents something they are grateful for and share it at Thanksgiving. It could be a song, drawing, recipe, photograph, etc.
3. Play Pass the Turkey
There are several versions of pass the turkey you can play in your neighborhood, at work, or in your home. Get a toy turkey to pass among your coworkers, family members, or neighbors. If someone in your group says the words “Turkey” or “Thanksgiving” during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving or during the dinner itself, they get stuck with the turkey until someone else says one of the taboo words.
If you want to incorporate service into your holiday, instead do something nice for someone else and pass them the turkey with a note explaining that they need to pass along the good deed and the turkey to keep the love and service going.
4. Show Your Gratitude on Butcher Paper
For a simple Thanksgiving tradition, replace your tablecloths with butcher paper and sprinkle crayons along the table. Throughout the dinner and evening together, family members and friends can write down things they are grateful for. Or, you can set up a thanking tree and cut out paper leaves where friends and family can write what they are thankful for and hang them on a fridge or on a bundle of branches you gather from outside that can be displayed throughout the month.
5. Try Thankful Pictionary
Another fun gratitude game is to have your friends or family write down things they are grateful for and then use those to play Pictionary. You’ll need two large drawing pads and markers or crayons. Divide your family in two teams and one member from each team gets to read a slip of paper and draw a picture to help their team guess the word without talking. The first team to name the word gets a point. Then, pick new team members to play and keep the fun going!
6. Share a Treat with Someone New
After Thanksgiving dinner, there is always food and dessert to spare. Think about someone in your neighborhood who might appreciate a Thanksgiving treat, or, better yet, invite them to dinner to enjoy the company and the meal.
“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.”
Randy Pausch
