With Thanksgiving just a couple of weeks away, it’s time to start planning to make one of the biggest holidays of the year your absolute best! Check out the following tips for making this Thanksgiving a more fun and memorable time for the whole family.
It's All About the Food
Thanksgiving is all about great food. Start by planning your menu and including foods that will suit all your guests - from vegetarians to meat lovers and tiny nibblers. Preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the trimmings used to be a given, but with everyone having different dietary needs, planning can be challenging. Why not offer some tasty sides along with your traditional meal?
For vegetarians, prepare a tray of raw veggies like sliced squash, zucchini rounds, grape tomatoes, kale, spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower with your favourite dip. There are also meatless "turkey" options you can find at the grocery or you can make your own stuffed tofu turkey. The great thing about Thanksgiving is most side dishes are meat-free anyways!
Keto cravings are easily satisfied with lots of protein from slices of turkey served alongside cooked, but low-calorie, Thanksgiving fare like braised kale, steamed green beans, or carrot salad.
Low-carb lovers will delight in desserts like sugar-free sweet potato flan or a low-carb fruit cup with vanilla yoghurt and granola sprinkles.
Have Fun With Festive Decor
Dig out your holiday decorations and see which ones could use some sprucing up or create new ones. When it comes to creating Thanksgiving-themed décor, think fall colours, textures, and foliage. Craft stores carry a huge selection of paper and silk leaves in fall colours, burlap fabric for table runners and placemats, and straw wreaths for a welcoming foyer or door.
Start with the front door and hang a Thanksgiving wreath crafted from fall leaves and whimsical toys like gobblers and scarecrows. Next, deck the fireplace mantle with a richly-hued garland of fall greenery accented with gold, burnt orange, red and brown ribbons, dried corncobs, and sprigs of wheat. Add touches of holiday-themed decorations throughout guest areas and in hallways to continue your Thanksgiving celebration.
Let the Crafting Begin!
Host a crafting party and invite family and friends to make decorations or tabletop accessories like Mason jar mugs bound with raffia ribbon; centrepieces with turkey feather accents, or colourful gourds. Children will love making turkey decorations using their tiny hands as brushes. A little messy but a great way to occupy little minds, let the kids dip the palms of their hands into some finger paint and press them onto craft paper. The end result: tiny turkey handprints that can be decorated with eyes, beaks, little legs, and a jolly hat that can be mounted on the wall or placed along the mantle.
Plan Some Activities for the Whole Family
A few holiday-themed colouring books give toddlers to 5-year-olds a chance to create wall art while grownups prepare dinner in the kitchen. Pin the tail on the turkey is a Thanksgiving version of an old favourite party game for kids, “Pin the Tail on the Donkey.” A turkey-shaped piñata is a great way to share some holiday candies and goodies for a crowd.
Plan a fun Fall walk in a nearby park while a few adults stay behind to keep an eye on the turkey. Kids can play in the leaves and this is a perfect time to take some more family photos! A scavenger hunt in the park is an unexpected twist and will offer hours of fun as they try to find hidden items - maybe even a coupon for an extra piece of pie after dinner?
After enjoying a delicious meal together, hand out grab bags full of Bingo cards with a Thanksgiving theme as everyone tries to win a special prize you've picked out.
It's Going to Be a Great Thanksgiving
When planning your Thanksgiving holiday, let your imagination run wild! Gobble up some of these fabulous ideas for making your celebration the best ever for tots, teens and adults. You can’t go wrong with the right mix of food, fun, fabulous crafts and games. Enjoy!
