Are you looking for some Thanksgiving traditions that don’t revolve around sitting, eating and football? Yes, those are expected (and loved) parts of the American Thanksgiving tradition. BUT, your celebration can include ideas that are less common and fun!
Start these new ideas for Thanksgiving traditions that will leave meaningful memories for years to come!
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Traditions Today
There are definitely traditions that exist today for Thanksgiving. Typically they revolve around sitting, eating, football and of course… the parade.
This is one of my favorite holidays. There is something about having family and friends come together in a relaxed setting that just makes me happy!
For some reason this is a holiday that just seems to stay fairly stagnant when it comes to new ideas.
I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time to mix it up!
8 Memorable Thanksgiving Traditions
Try adding some new ideas that will not only be fun but make meaningful memories.
Even better, they will live on in your kids and their families in the future!
Mix It Up With Movement
With so much sitting and eating happening on Thanksgiving, plan a physical activity that all of your guests can participate in.
Start a tradition that is both fun and healthy!
Community Gratitude Walk
Plan a walk to kick off your Thanksgiving celebration to get your blood flowing.
Not only will this give you and your guests the chance to be active, you can do something good for your community in the process.
Here are some ideas for your Community Gratitude Walk.
- Neighborhood Trash Pick-up
- Distribute Food or Self Care to Less Fortunate Community Members
- Historical Significance Walk (Great for people who don’t know your community)
- Community Mini-Parade (Let the kids dress up!)
Community Gratitude Walks are perfect for everyone at your Thanksgiving Celebration to participate.
Family members and friends in strollers, wheelchairs and walkers can easily enjoy the same memorable experience as the rest of your guests.
Thanksgiving Relay Race
If you have more active guests attending your holiday celebration, try planning your first annual relay race this Thanksgiving.
Here are a few fun ideas to get you started.
- Backyard Relay
- Have your guests do a traditional race or include fun elements like…
- Three-legged race
- Pin the tail on the Turkey
- Pumpkin Scavenger Hunt
- Walnut Walk (Like Egg Race – with the walnut on a spoon in their mouth)
- Pumpkin Pie Push Ups (Pie with whipped cream on the ground – in their face as they go down)
- Have your guests do a traditional race or include fun elements like…
For guests that aren’t physically able to participate, have them be your timers and judges.
Kids can participate in their own races or with adults!
Pumpkin Patch Activity
Pick up some assorted pumpkins for a fun pumpkin patch activity at your Thanksgiving gathering.
You can use real or artificial pumpkins of any and all sizes.
Depending on the size of your pumpkins, quantity and the weather you can put them in a bowl, on a table or outside on the ground.
The idea is, each guest picks a pumpkin which has a prompt on it.
Write the prompt using a sharpie marker.
Here are some Pumpkin Patch Activity Ideas that are sure to leave lasting memories.
- Grateful Pumpkin Patch
- Everyone picks a pumpkin and shares what they are grateful for based on their prompt.
- Favorite Thanksgiving Memory Pumpkin Patch
- Everyone picks a pumpkin and shares their favorite thanksgiving memory based on their prompt.
- Family
- Friends
- Favorite Food
- Funny Memory
- Everyone picks a pumpkin and shares their favorite thanksgiving memory based on their prompt.
- Responsibility Pumpkin Patch
- Everyone picks a pumpkin to see how they will help with the clean-up/responsibilities during your party or gathering.
- Dishes
- Left-over distribution
- Table tear-down
- Key collector (if people are drinking)
- Peacekeeper
- Master of Ceremonies (If games/activities are taking place)
- Everyone picks a pumpkin to see how they will help with the clean-up/responsibilities during your party or gathering.
“Best Of” Cook-Off
Making your holiday meal is a Thanksgiving tradition that most of us have a love/hate relationship with.
How is it possible to cook for SO LONG and eat it all in such a short time?
What if everyone contributed to the meal AND you made it a good, friendly competition?
This is a great option if you are serving a lot of people.
If you choose to do a “cook-off” be sure to notify everyone of how many servings to prepare.
Here are ideas for how to structure your Thanksgiving Cook-Off.
- Have people sign up for a “course”
- Appetizer
- Main
- Dessert
- Do an early sign up to encourage any option for a dish to bring
- CAUTION: Be sure to prepare a dish or two for each course just in case you are short
- Determine how many people will be needed to prepare for each dish & do sign ups by dish
- Appetizer
- Drinks
- Bread/Rolls
- Meat
- Starches (Potatoes, Rice, etc.)
- Condiments (Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, Olives, etc.)
- Veggie Dishes
- Desserts
- You pick what you will make and do sign ups for the rest
- Most common – you prepare the meat they sign up for sides and dessert
- You decide how this will work best for you and your guests
- Mystery Meal
- You tell everyone what you are making
- They bring what they want
- This is a fun way to wing it … sometimes traditional sides and dishes are missing
- Celebrate other cultures and family traditions intentionally with this completely non-traditional approach
The options here are endless.
Do something fun and creative for voting.
My favorite idea is to put a cup next to each dish.
Then, have guests drop a toothpick in the cups next to their favorite dishes. Each guest gets 5 toothpicks upon entry.
Consider giving prizes out for the dishes with the most votes.
One option is to give away centerpieces that are serving as your Thanksgiving decor!
As the guests leave, they take their prizes AND help you clean up!
The main point is to HAVE FUN WITH IT!
Start A Thanksgiving Craft Tradition
What better way to get everyone at your celebration to participate in new Thanksgiving traditions than to create an opportunity to engage everyone at the same time?
There are so many craft ideas out there for you to choose from.
The question is, how do you choose something that suits your youngest and most mature guests?
TIP: Unless your entire family and everyone on your guest list LOVES crafts, keep it simple!
Check out this simple, quick and cheap craft that everyone can create – regardless of their craft ability!
What better way to make memories than to have everyone sitting down together to create something?
Start A Gratitude Tree Tradition
A gratitude tree is simply a tree that holds ornaments that are personalized by your guests.
The personalization is specifically things your guests are grateful for.
The idea is that everyone gets an ornament and guests write down their gratitude on the ornament.
This can happen as guests arrive, during a specific portion of the meal, or after the meal.
Regardless of when it happens, the ornaments are hung on the tree.
Here are some options for how to structure this activity.
- Completely On Your Guests Timeline
- Have the ornaments and writing utensils prepared
- Let guests complete this activity throughout the Thanksgiving celebration
- Be sure to remind them it’s happening (especially if this is a new tradition)
- Set a Specific Time For Your Gratitude Tree Activity
- Be sure to share ahead of time (as guests arrive) to give them time to prepare
- Have guests say the thing they are grateful for as they hang their ornament on the tree
TIP: For the first few years try doing this by setting a specific time. Guests that understand the activity will help guests who don’t understand the concept. It catches on fast and is a LOT of fun!
Gratitude Tree Ideas
Use a Christmas Tree (any size will do) as your gratitude tree.
Twig trees are perfect for a simple or vintage themed Thanksgiving Tree.
Just go outside and find a branch that would otherwise serve no purpose.
To choose your ornament options, look at these ideas!
- Burlap ornaments (cut from burlap or buy prepared)
- Raw wood disks with a hole drilled in the top for your tree
- Fabric pennants for ornaments (any size or different sizes)
- Markers/Paint Pens to write on ornaments
- Glass or Plastic ornaments with the thing they are grateful for inside.
This a fun new Thanksgiving tradition that will last generations!
Draw Christmas Gift Names: New Thanksgiving Traditions
What better time to draw names for a Christmas gift exchange than at Thanksgiving when everyone (or most everyone) is present?
Have guests that couldn’t make it but are participating in the gift exchange?
Put all names of attendees AND those who couldn’t come to your Thanksgiving celebration in a large mason jar or pumpkin.
Once you are sure all of the names are in, draw names and tell each person who they will be purchasing for.
Be sure everyone that is participating gets their name in!
Looking for ideas for Christmas gifts? Check out our post for Budgeting & Planning for Christmas Gifts!
It even includes specific gift ideas!
New Thanksgiving Traditions: Game Night
Who doesn’t love a good game night?
The best part of this idea for fun new Thanksgiving tradition to add to your holiday celebration is the simplicity of it.
All you need to do is set out some tables with a few games on each table and let the fun begin!
You don’t have to lead anything.
Just let your guests know there are game tables set up when you are mingling and doing introductions and that’s that!
TIP: Be sure that your game instructions are in the box or on the table. If they were lost, just look them up online and print them.
Here are some ideas for easy games to set out for your guests.
- Yahtzee
- Rummikub
- Uno
- Farkle
- Monopoly
- Sequence
- Skyjo (SO FUN)
- Five Crowns
- Phase 10
- Boggle
- Scrabble
- Charades
Set Up A Mini Selfie Station
One of the hardest things to remember to do when you’re planning a holiday meal or party is find time to take pictures.
With everything else that’s going on this is usually one of the first things that doesn’t happen.
Don’t miss a single memory when you set up a selfie station!
Sometimes these are called photo booths but setting up a place for people to take pictures is a great way to have everyone take pictures and miss nothing!
All you need to set up this fun new Thanksgiving tradition is…
- Thanksgiving themed props
Basically, just set up a backdrop, a box or table of props and let the selfies begin!
Be sure all of the pictures get sent to you by adding a sign with your hashtag or where to send them.
Just like that, pictures…. done!
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8 New Thanksgiving Traditions That Aren’t Traditional
This Thanksgiving add some new traditions to make your holiday celebration fun, memorable and exciting by mixing it up!
Thanksgiving doesn’t have to revolve around the parade, the game and food.
Try something new and add a new Thanksgiving tradition to your party this year!
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This post was all about 8 new Thanksgiving traditions to add to your Turkey Day Celebration that aren’t traditional!
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