I love the holidays so much. Now that I have been hosting for several years and feel like I have a handle on the food, I want to do more things to make the holiday meaningful. For me, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and focus on family and blessings. Here are a few ideas for things you can do to make this day (and your life!!) more meaningful and joyful.

1. Make a movie! I consistently make imovies on my phone documenting fun family trips or birthdays, but a Thanksgiving video would be meaningful for EVERYONE, and give people something to do and connect over, even once the holiday is over. Film each person of every age saying their name, age and what they are grateful for. Then drop them all into a movie, add a little music and call it a day! I like to add a title saying “Thanksgiving 2019” with the location of where we gathered. This is fun in the moment and is a great family history project too! If you can make it quickly, you could export it and airplay it that night as the initial viewing!



2. Thanksgiving notebook. In a dedicated book of any sort, record where you are in your life and what you’re grateful for each Thanksgiving. Times change and it is fun to go back each year and review where you were living, what the kids were into, and just a sample of what your life looked like at that time. If you’re not a consistent journaler, doing it on this day/week each year can offer you a chance to reflect.
3. Pick a children’s book that you read every year, one family can get behind and enjoy over and over. The kids (and even adults) will find themselves craving that tradition and looking forward to the consistency and meaning that simple act brings. I like this book for a simple history, “If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620.”



4. Plan an activity that gets everyone up and moving. Thanksgiving is so much about preparing and eating food, that its fun and even important to get outside and move our bodies. Our family goes to the same park for a 2 mile hike each year, and reminisce doing it as young children. We all love it!
5. Make individual salt and pepper carriers for each person at your meal. This is a nice touch, but also a very useful addition to the meal! Martha Stewart suggests splitting walnuts equally in half, clearing them out with a drill and grinding bit, and painting the interior red with a gold rim. I think I might leave them all natural, or paint them all gold. Be sure you buy some extra salt and pepper to fill them with!