9 Family Thanksgiving Traditions Worth Starting This Year
Somebody always sneaks a roll before dinner. Somebody else asks how much longer until we eat while standing directly in front of the oven I need to open. And by the time the pie comes out, I’m usually wondering why we ever bothered setting a time for dinner in the first place.
I love that part of Thanksgiving. The house is a little loud, the kitchen is a mess, and for once nobody’s in much of a hurry to go home.
When I think about what I’d love my kids to remember, it’s the little things they could be part of. Picking the good bowl for something they helped make. Going outside with me to find a few leaves for the table. Answering a question at dinner with a story I somehow hadn’t heard yet.
If you’re looking for family Thanksgiving traditions worth starting, pick one that sounds like your people. A rainy walk, a funny family photo, or pie for breakfast might be the thing everyone asks to do again next year.
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through one of my links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Love, Tabitha!
1. Let the Kids Be in Charge of One Dish
Give the kids something they can point to at dinner and say, “I made that.”
It could be arranging pickles and olives, setting out the rolls, or making the whipped cream with a little help. Let them pick the serving dish, too. If they choose the biggest platter in the cupboard for twelve olives, I say go with it.
As they get older, they can take over more of the recipe. My oldest makes homemade mac and cheese for Thanksgiving, and all the kids agree it’s their favorite dish on the table.
2. Take a Thanksgiving Morning Walk
Here in the Pacific Northwest, there’s a decent chance a November walk will involve boots and a raincoat. I’d still take ten quiet minutes outside before the oven’s on and the kitchen windows fog up.
Let the kids pick the route, even if it’s just a loop around the yard. Give them a mission to find the biggest leaf or the tiniest pinecone. If it’s pouring, take your coffee out to the porch and listen to it rain for a few minutes.
This is also an excellent job for the person who shows up early and asks how they can help. Hand them the kids’ coats while you get the turkey in.
3. Hide a Little Note in Each Place Card
Fold a piece of cardstock or cut up a clean paper grocery bag. Write someone’s name on the front and one thing you appreciate about them inside.
I’d keep it specific. “Thank you for bringing in the groceries when my hands are full” or “I love that you always call me when the first snow is coming.” Those are the kinds of notes I’d tuck in a drawer and be happy to find months later.
Kids can draw a picture inside or tell you what they want to say. Put the cards on the plates and let people discover their notes when they sit down.
4. Put One Good Question on the Table
I like going around the table and saying what we’re thankful for, but sometimes the best stories come from asking something a little more specific. Write a few questions on scraps of paper and let somebody pull one while you’re passing the rolls.
- What’s something that made you laugh this year?
- What’s one thing you learned how to do?
- What’s a small thing you’d like to do again next year?
- What was Thanksgiving like when you were a kid?
- Who did something kind for you that they probably don’t remember?
I’d start with the funny one. It usually gets somebody talking, and the person across the table will remember the part of the story everyone else forgot.
5. Make One Recipe That Comes With a Story
Maybe it’s your grandma’s rolls, your dad’s stuffing, or the pie somebody brought one year and has been asked to bring ever since. Write down the recipe and the details you’d miss if you only had the ingredient list. What pan did they use? Did they actually measure the cinnamon? Who always got to taste it first?
Since losing my mom, I think differently about the ordinary things we get to keep from the people we love. A recipe in someone’s handwriting can mean a lot. So can telling the story that goes with it while your kid stands next to you at the counter.
If there’s a recipe you wish you’d asked for, make something that reminds you of that person and tell the kids why you picked it. You can start with one recipe card and add another every year. A little recipe card box would be a sweet place to keep them together.
6. Take the Same Family Photo Every Year
Pick a spot. The front steps, the kitchen doorway, or everybody squeezed around the table will do. I’d take it before dinner, while there’s still a chance of getting everyone in one place.
Keep the funny one, too. The dog wandered in, somebody’s eyes are closed, and the kid who could barely see over the table last year is suddenly right up front. Those are the pictures I want to go back and look at.
Make an album on your phone for Thanksgiving photos. Next year, pull up the old one before you take the new one. The kids might get a kick out of trying to stand in the same spots.
7. Let the Kids Pick the After-Dinner Game
Once the plates are cleared, hand the evening over to the kids for a bit. They can pick Uno, start a puzzle, or make everybody play charades. If they’re old enough to explain the rules, let them run it. I’d fully expect at least one rule I’ve never heard of.
For a game you can play with scraps of paper, have everyone write down a funny family memory. Read them one at a time and guess who wrote each one. Give the younger kids a partner so they can join in.
8. Start a Thanksgiving Notebook
Put a plain notebook on the table with the year and the names of the people who came. Anybody who wants to can add a line. Kids can draw what they ate or write down their favorite part. Somebody can record who called from out of town or what happened to the first batch of rolls.
You can leave yourself notes for next year, too. Make more gravy. Ask for that pie recipe. Check under the turkey platter before buying another serving fork.
Next Thanksgiving, read a page while dinner’s cooking. I’d love to see what my daughter thought was worth writing down now, and what she’ll add when she’s old enough to host.
9. Make Friday Breakfast Out of the Leftovers
Sleep in if you can, put on the coffee, and warm up a roll with butter and cranberry sauce. Or have pumpkin pie for breakfast. There’s whipped cream in the fridge and you’ve already done the dishes once.
If someone stayed the night, let them pick what goes on the table. Put out whatever’s easy and sit down together one more time. I like the idea of having a little Thanksgiving left for Friday morning, when nobody’s asking what time dinner will be ready.
Which One Would Your Family Ask to Do Again?
If I were picking one to start this year, I’d take a Thanksgiving morning walk. And I’d take the family photo before I get distracted by the gravy.
If you want more time for the fun parts of the day, my Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes for a Less Stressful Holiday has a prep plan you can start on Tuesday. And if you want to make the table feel special with what you already own, take a look at An Elegant Thanksgiving Table for 8 Under $100 With Walmart Finds.
Save this for Thanksgiving week, and tell me in the comments: What’s the little thing your family does every year that everyone would notice if you skipped it? I’d especially love to hear about the traditions that started by accident and stuck.
