Thanksgiving: Everything You Need for a Successful Thanksgiving

by Brooke Johnson on November 18th, 2012 | No Comments »

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and there are lots of things to do before it gets here. Here are some ideas to make sure every aspect of your Thanksgiving holiday is taken care of.

Everything You Need for a Successful Thanksgiving

1. Decorations

Looking for a simple and beautiful way to decorate your home this year for Thanksgiving? Here are a few ideas to help get your house ready for Thanksgiving this year:

Sticks in a vase—adding various sizes of sticks with some flowers can add an inexpensive, easy, and fun pop of color to your table.

Five Thanksgiving Holiday Table Decorating Ideas—table runners, candles, centerpieces, oh my!

2. Crafts

Trying to think of fun Thanksgiving crafts to do with your kids while they are out of school on holiday break? Here are a few fun and easy craft ideas to do with your kids:

Thankful Hands—This craft involves tracing your child's hand and then letting them to decorate it with the things they are grateful for. You can even make it into a book.

Gratitude Jar—This simple craft is a perfect way to help get your family get into the giving spirit of the season.

Thankful tree—This craft is a great way to teach gratitude, bring your family together, and showcase all of the things you are thankful for.

3. Food

Here are a couple recipes that are a surefire way to impress all your friends and family this Thanksgiving:

Green bean casserole—Do you want a fresh spin on a classic dish? This recipe will make for a mouthwatering side dish.

Creamy mashed potatoes with goat cheese and fresh sage—A non-traditional approach to a traditional side dish. This recipe will not disappoint.

4. Holiday Traditions

What traditions does your family celebrate each year? Here are some ideas on how to keep old traditions alive and how to create new ones:

Holiday parties—Does everyone plan for your holiday get-together every year? Picking out the perfect wine and reminding yourself to breathe and enjoy can be a stressful but fun tradition.

Non-traditional traditions—Not every tradition your family celebrates this season has to be one made from previous generations. Something simple like watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or hunting for easter eggs on Thanksgiving can lessen the stress of having a perfect holiday.

Creating new traditions—This can be a fun and interesting twist on your holidays this year. For example, last year Tammy Kling celebrated Thanksgiving with her family by taking her kids to feed the homeless instead of having a sit down dinner.

5. Giving Thanks

Whether it be counting your blessings around the table or creating a family gratitude vision board, there are many things to do to express gratitude as a family. Here are few ideas to help your family get in the spirit of the season:

Pause and give thanks—Don't skip over the Thanksgiving season. Teach your kids and remind yourself to give, give thanks for what you have, and give your time, words, and energy to someone else.
Send thank you cards—There is no better way to express thanks than by saying "thank you." What might take you minutes to do, could end up giving a day-made outcome for someone else.
Writing a "Top 10 Things I'm Most Grateful for Today" list—Reflect back on this year and the things that have made it tremendous.

Have a happy Thanksgiving!