During the pandemic, Thanksgiving was a virtual holiday with people having dinner in their small pandemic bubble or alone. After or during the meal, people powered up their laptops for Zoom conferences with family and friends. Everyone crowded together to fit into the screen and have awkward conversations, and wave into the camera or raise a long-distance toast. While people made do with what they had and considered it wasn’t terrible, they knew that it wasn’t the same. With Thanksgiving approaching next month, people are looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday to express their Thanksgiving gratitude with enthusiasm. 

People are excited about making and sharing their favorite family recipes and dishes that used to appear on their tables every year, year after year. They are excited about watching the parade, the big game, and the dog show. Most importantly, they are also excited about the turkey and cranberry sauce and tucking into the second slice of pumpkin pie. 

Above all, people are excited to get together again. They are also grateful for everything they received. Suppose you want to understand the meaning of Thanksgiving. In that case, we recommend checking out the following eight ideas for activities and family Thanksgiving traditions to put some extra thanks into your Thanksgiving. 

How to Practice Gratitude on Thanksgiving 

Thanksgiving was never about food in the first place, and there is no reason why Turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce receive the most attention on the last Thursday of every November. Below are some additional ways to practice gratitude on Thanksgiving. 

Everyone is excited about making and sharing favorite family recipes and dishes that continue to appear on our tables year after year. If you are looking for meaningful ways to express gratitude, consider the following Thanksgiving reflections. 

Gratitude Tree 

Many families create a gratitude tree and have been doing so as a Thanksgiving tradition for years. Dinner guests write their reflections on things they are grateful for on construction paper leaves and hang them by ribbons onto the branches. 

The activity is fun, and everyone in the family can participate. Check out posts from a couple of Thanksgivings earlier to learn how you can make your own gratitude tree. 

Wish Tree 

I wish trees are no different from gratitude trees. However, instead of writing what guests are grateful for this year, guests write down what they wish for the coming year. Wouldn’t it be fun to gather again on Thanksgiving Day next year to count how many guests had their wishes turned into reasons for celebration and gratitude? 

Gratitude Garland 

Little ones need lessons on the importance of gratitude and on keeping them busy while cooking dinner. Cutting some yellow and red construction paper into one-inch-by-five-inch rectangles for guests to write what they are grateful for, and gluing the short ends of the entangled paper together to create paper chains, helps make a gratitude garland. When the chain is long enough, it can be used to decorate the Thanksgiving table. 

Gratitude Jar: Family Thanksgiving Traditions For The Entire Year 

Gratitude jars are excellent to nourish a grateful heart throughout the year. Place a jar, colored paper slips, and a pen on the kitchen counter, and write down little blessings and reasons to be thankful all year round, having fun watching the jar fill up. It’s even more fun to empty the jar on Thanksgiving day and read the little notes out loud to count your blessings. 

Notes of Thanks 

An instance of how family Thanksgiving traditions extend beyond the holiday, these notes giving thanks rituals bring feelings of gratitude at the event and appreciation afterward. Provide a guest with a pretty note card, a pen, and an envelope upon arrival. While waiting for dinner to be served, the guests can take a few minutes to write a note of thanks to people they are grateful for. Gather all the notes after dinner for mailing the next day. 

Gratitude Candle 

Gratitude candles are a memorable and meaningful way to end a meal when entertaining a crowd, and they constitute another of many family Thanksgiving traditions. You can’t issue but small handheld candles with drip protectors to all your guests and turn out the lights. As the host, you light your candle and express gratitude for something or someone, then pass it to the guest sitting next to you, and so on around the table. By the time everyone has finished, the room will glow with gratitude and good memories. 

Gratitude Tablecloth: Distinctive Family Thanksgiving Customs 

This is a funny and distinctive family Thanksgiving custom that gets better every year. You can provide a collection of colorful fabric markers for guests to write their names, the year, and what they are grateful for on the tablecloth, for use only on Thanksgiving. Bring the tablecloth out year after year to verify how gratitude keeps growing. 

Gratitude Journals 

In addition to the pockets of leftover turkey you give to each departing guest, include an attractive notebook and a pen to encourage them to start a gratitude journal. You don’t need to provide anything fancy from a spiral notebook, and you can find them in craft stores for affordable prices. You can also purchase them online if you wish. Gratitude journals don’t have to be expensive, but they can help someone make gratitude a habit, becoming the most priceless gift, you ever give. 

You don’t have to restrict yourself to the ideas we provide. Still, we recommend you think creatively to develop your own ways to discover the real reasons why you and your family, with friends, gather around the table to offer Thanksgiving gratitude.