Top 15 Thanksgiving Traditions to Start with Your Family
Every year, at the end of November, Americans celebrate a day of thanks. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621 after their first harvest in the New World. In 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation of thanks to God. Finally, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the last Thursday of November each year. Through the many years, we have developed Thanksgiving traditions. These Thanksgiving traditions in America make our annual celebrations memorable times with family and friends.

Since the beginning of Thanksgiving, Americans have added Thanksgiving traditions to this day. These traditions vary from family to family and even in different parts of the country. Your family probably has a few Thanksgiving traditions you follow each year.
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15 Thanksgiving Traditions In America
1. A Thankful Tree
Family members each receive a leaf (made from something simple like construction paper) and they write down what they are thankful for this year. Then they attach their leaf to the tree. The Thankful Tree’s leaves are a reminder of all the things we should be thankful for.
2. Share a Thanksgiving Prayer
Give your guests a Thanksgiving prayer or blessing. You can write it yourself and even have it printed on cards (like postcard size). Your friends and family will appreciate this thoughtful reminder of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Prayer
May your days be filled with happiness all year.
May you know the love of friends and family.
May gratitude fill your heart.
May you thank God for his many blessings through the year.
3. Ask your guests sign the tablecloth
Each year, visitors and guests sign the tablecloth. A special section of the tablecloth is marked for each year. Over the years, the tablecloth becomes an annual reminder of who visited on Thanksgiving. Some families have visitors from Thanksgiving to New Year’s sign the tablecloth. What a wonderful gift to pass down to your family.
4. Thank You Notes/Thanksgiving Jar
Different from the Thankful Tree, each family member writes down things they are thankful for but cannot include health, family or money (it’s assumed you are thankful for these). Each note is placed in a bowl or Thanksgiving jar and then read aloud. If you want to make it a game, you could leave the notes unsigned and guess who wrote each note.
5. Thanksgiving Journal
As family and friends arrive for Thanksgiving dinner, ask them to sign the Thanksgiving journal. They can write a few sentences or as much as they want, reflecting on this year and what makes them thankful. Continue to pass the journal around until everyone has had a chance to make an entry.
After dinner, read what everyone has written.
Save the journal and add new entries at the next Thanksgiving.
6. Breaking the wishbone
We always let the wishbone from the turkey dry and then break it. Whoever has the biggest side of the wishbone when it breaks will have their “wish” for the year.
7. Traditional food
Does your family have a Thanksgiving dish you have every year? Â Maybe it’s a special recipe that Grandma would make, and the recipe has been passed down. Â Maybe you have the exact same foods every year?
Looking for ideas for your Thanksgiving menu? Check out this Thanksgiving menu plan.
8. Learn the history of Thanksgiving
Each year, take 15-30 minutes and study the history of Thanksgiving. Try to discover a new fact about the history of Thanksgiving.  You could keep your Thanksgiving history in a book and read the book each year at Thanksgiving dinner.
You could also make this a game. Let everyone grab their smartphones and see who finds the most unique or interesting Thanksgiving fact.
9. A Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner
Our family is big, and sometimes we have to visit different family members on holidays. So, to have just our immediate family (parents, sisters, nieces, nephews, siblings, and grandkids) all together for one dinner, we celebrate Pre-Thanksgiving. This way, everyone can come, and it’s not stressful, and nobody feels rushed. We call it “The Night Before Thanksgiving Dinner.”
10. Be thankful and give back to the community by volunteering at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter
Give your time to those in need. Even just a few hours is a huge benefit to others on Thanksgiving, and it shows your gratitude and appreciation for all you have.
11. Parades and football games
The girls love the Macy’s parade (what fun to go in person just once), and the guys love the football games. Make it a tradition to watch the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade in the morning, then enjoy football in the afternoon.
Don’t forget to get the kids outside for an after-dinner football game as a family, too.
12. Play a Thanksgiving family game
Our family loves to play games like Rummikub, Wits & Wagers, or even Shut the Box. Have a traditional game you play after Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone will remember playing and the fun.
13. Enjoy memories by the campfire
After the football games, ask everyone to gather around a campfire outside. Family and friends can share what they are thankful for this year and favorite memories from past Thanksgivings.
14. Christmas ornament exchange
Many of us will be putting up our Christmas trees after Thanksgiving. Get started early by asking your guests to bring a Christmas tree ornament to exchange.
An ornament exchange can be extra fun when guests try to find unique ornaments or ornaments that are specific to the year.
Have a prize for the person who brings the most interesting/unique ornament.
15. Putting up the Christmas tree and watching Christmas movies
What Thanksgiving would be complete without putting up the Christmas tree and then watching It’s a Wonderful Life and Christmas in Connecticut (my two favorite Christmas movies)?
These are just a few Thanksgiving traditions your family will love to celebrate year after year. Thanksgiving traditions will be the memories talked about year after year at your family reunions and Thanksgiving dinners. Start a new tradition this year.
Your turn…
What traditions does your family have on Thanksgiving? What is your favorite childhood Thanksgiving memory?
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we put up the tree, then go put up outside lights the next day ant then plan what cookies we are going to make for christmas.
I love the table cloth idea as well 🙂 The crowd changes so much year to year this would be a great keepsake!
Hi Alison, The tablecloth is definitely a keepsake you can use to remember family and guests from each year and to share with the family for many years to come.
I love the tablecloth idea! My first baby is about to turn one, and I’m so excited to get to create new traditions for her to have as she grows up. I think I’ll try that one this year. How fun! 🙂
Hi Laura, the tablecloth idea was one of my favorites from the list. I had never heard of having a tablecloth signed by guests until I did the research for this article. Thank you for visiting.
seriously awesome ideas! I love the thankful tree and the idea of signing the tablecloth! thanks for sharing these 🙂
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Hi Tianna, thank you for visiting. Both the thankful tree and signing the tablecloth sound like great traditions. I think kids would really like putting the leaves on the tree. Tablecloth can be saved for years.
We do some of these! My kids absolutely love traditions. My son, now 11, started a few years ago asking each family member to write down what they are thankful for on a piece of paper. He has kept these in a shoebox. Each Thanksgiving, he brings out the shoebox and reads them from the previous year. Then we add the new ones. All his idea. Found you on the Link it to me link party. 🙂
Hi Chellie, I love the shoebox idea and saving all the things you were thankful for each year. Then reading them each year. What a great way to remember how you have been blessed over the years.