This Thanksgiving, you will certainly get to enjoy some of your classic time-honored traditions. Some families have recipes they’ve used for years. Others always gather at a particular family member’s home. Others make traditions of inviting friends over who may be far from family. No matter what your holiday traditions are, we at Talk of the Town are happy to bring you a few new tips that might bring new traditions to your Thanksgiving.
- Play “Guessing Thanks!” Instead of going around the table and asking everyone to say what they are thankful for, invite guests to write what they are thankful for on a piece of paper and have everyone pick one out of a bowl to read. Then, you and your guests get to guess who wrote it!
… - Incorporate a centerpiece that’s made with items you find in your own yard! Go outside and you’ll see the most beautiful leaves, pinecones, bunches of pine needles and nuts all around. Why not gather what you can use to decorate your table with the beautiful and natural items you and your family collect at home? This is a great way to not only save money, but it also allows you to really show your gratitude for all you have and the natural world around you!
… - Change up the menu, but just a little! A great way to change up the routine is to swap out just one or two usual dishes for something new. Always do sweet potatoes? Why not substitute mashed potatoes this year? If you are not sure you want to give up a tradition, you can always add a new dish and ask guests to tell you which they prefer. You might be surprised that you’ve started a new tradition!
… - Give Kids Something to Do! In addition to helping with the cooking, you can make children a part of the Thanksgiving meal by asking them to help you set the table. Another great way to involve children in the preparation is to ask them to make place cards for your guests. Younger kids can decorate them with leaves and a glue stick, and older kids can write guests’ names. Serving buffet style? Instead of place cards, have kids create and decorate menu cards to put in front of each dish. Also, kids love to put on performances! Ask the children at your event to create a Thanksgiving skit to showcase their talents!
… - Make Doing the Dishes Fun! Left with a kitchen full of dishes and platters and everyone else sitting in the living room? Pour yourself a glass of wine, turn on some music and invite just one or two guests you didn’t get to talk to at dinner to join you in the kitchen to clean up. This will be a fun and easy way to get the clean up done and enjoy the company of anyone you might have missed spending time with at the table!
