For some of us, Thanksgiving is a day spent prepping, cooking and baking to prepare for a gathering of family and friends around the dinning table. The other half of us are either just attendees at a home-cooked feast or we simply order a feast and enjoy. Whatever the route you and your family take, for Thanksgiving the end results are the same; we stuff ourselves with great food, enjoy the company of family and friends, and reflect on that for which we are most thankful.
A couple years ago, I realized that I had spent too many Thanksgivings just eating turkey and spending time with family. Actually stopping and truly being thankful for my life and the people around me had been forgotten. That year I decided to make a change and I planned an activity with my family that was so enjoyable that I will continue the tradition and I now share it with you. I call it simply, our “Thankful Activity”.
Here are specific instructions on making this activity. I hope you embrace this as part of your tradition too. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thankful Activity
1. Name Labels
Label one card/paper/leaf with each member attending Thanksgiving dinner on one side of the card. On the back of the card, put label “From” and “Thankful For” (see picture) for the area the person who draws fills out. Put all completed cards in a basket for your guests to draw from.
2. Draw Names
Once all guests have arrived, have everyone pull cards. If they pull their own name, the card goes back in basket and they pull another card. Kids can participate with this activity as well (with parental help, of course!) Once all cards are drawn, each guest fills in the blanks with their name in the “From” section and in the “Thankful for” section. Once everyone is done, all cards go back in basket and saved until after Thanksgiving dinner.
3. Pull a Thankful Card to read
After Thanksgiving dinner, bring the basket to the table. Pass around the basket and have everyone draw a card. It is okay if they draw their own name. Then one at a time, have everyone read who the author is and who they are thankful for.
4. Give Thankful Cards to their owner
After all the reading of the cards are complete, the person who the card was about, can take the card as a token of thanks.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
