30 Things to Do This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a national holiday where people celebrate the blessings of the past year and give thanks. The first Thanksgiving day dates back to 1621, when the Plymouth colonists shared an autumn harvest meal with the Wampanoag Indians. Since then, the fourth Thursday in November every year is set aside to give thanks. 

Thanksgiving traditional feasts center on eating turkey meals with family and friends. These meals may also include mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, stuffings, gravy, cornbread, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. Another part of the Thanksgiving tradition is the parades featuring marching bands and performers. The president also ceremonially pardons two Thanksgiving turkeys yearly as part of the traditions.

30 Fun Things to Celebrate Thanksgiving

Whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving day alone or with your family and friends, there are a lot of fun activities you can engage in aside from enjoying a large meal at dinner time. Here is a list of entertaining activities you can participate in to commemorate the day.

Cook a Turkey

Turkey at Thanksgiving is a tradition that goes without saying. Since cooking a turkey is almost compulsory at Thanksgiving, why not plan a fun menu and get creative with it? You can try new recipes or put a twist on an old one.

Bake a Pie

Pumpkin pies are part of the Thanksgiving day tradition, so why not bake a pie or two? Although many families have special recipes, you can spice things up by trying new ones. This is one cooking activity you can have more fun with by getting the kids involved.

Hold a Pie Eating Contest

If you are hosting guests, having a pie-eating contest is a fun activity to try. Get your guests to bake their favorite pumpkin pies and bring them along for dessert. You can make the contest fun by asking people to eat pie with whipped cream while their hands are tied behind them. After the meal, everyone can cast votes for the best pie.

Donate to a Food Bank

Donating food is a great way to help the less fortunate get into the Thanksgiving spirit. You can sort and pack non-perishables and canned food and deliver them to your local food bank.

Reconnect with Old Friends 

Do you have a friend you haven't heard from in a while? Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reconnect with them. If you do not have their phone numbers or addresses, try to find them using a reverse phone number lookup. A call from you could pleasantly surprise them and lift their spirits.

Have a Family Picnic

Try an outdoor family picnic if the weather is warm where you live. You can make it fun by adding family-friendly outdoor games. 

Watch a Thanksgiving Movie or Two

TV stations typically air Thanksgiving-themed movies during the holiday. You can pick one or more family-friendly Thanksgiving movies with your guests to get into the holiday spirit. There are also several TV shows everyone can binge-watch.

Play Board Games

Challenge your friends and family to a board game. Choose from a wide selection of board games from scrabble to Jenga. You should ensure that the games are family-friendly so the kids are not left out.  

Start a Gratitude Jar

Thanksgiving is a time to focus on things for which we are thankful. From the first day in November, get everyone in the family to write something they are grateful for. Have everyone do this every day until Thanksgiving day. Read them out on Thanksgiving day and count your blessings. This activity certainly builds excitement for the holiday.

Volunteer to Help Others

You can help others experience the joy of Thanksgiving by spending the day delivering Thanksgiving turkey to the elderly, or people living with disabilities in your community. You can also volunteer at a food shelter or local soup kitchen.

Watch the Thanksgiving Parade

The thanksgiving parade is a major highlight of the day. If you live in a city holding a parade, you can physically join in the fun and make the day memorable by taking pictures and videos. You can also partake in the parade from the comfort of your home by watching a live telecast.

Play Charades

Want to spice up Thanksgiving with laughter? Play a game of charades. You can play the game with Thanksgiving-themed words like turkey, football, gravy, and feast. Kids can also take part in the game.

Go Through your Family Album

Thanksgiving is also a time to reminisce, and that's just what the family album does. Gather your loved ones around and pull out family albums. Go through pictures of weddings, births, and family vacations to recall fond memories.

Write Thank You Cards

Thanksgiving is about being happy and grateful, feelings you can express to your family and friends through handwritten notes. You can write notes to specific people or write something general and read it aloud after dinner.

Go for a Hike

After so many months indoors and many more working from home, you should treat yourself. Enjoy the outdoors by hiking with family and friends.

Go to the Movies

If you love watching movies at the theater, you can catch a holiday movie and even ask a few people to tag along.

Order Takeout

Want to take the cooking pressure off? Order Thanksgiving dinner. You can use the time saved to bond with family members, watch a movie, or play games.

Video Chat with Extended Family 

Sometimes, not all family members can get together during Thanksgiving. You can schedule an individual or group video call with people who couldn’t make it to catch up with them and give them a glimpse of all the festivities.

Start Decorating

Since Thanksgiving day kicks off the holidays, why not start putting up Christmas decorations? You can put up a few lights within and outside the house and then really go all the way in December. 

Family Photoshoot

Make it a habit to take family pictures and capture precious moments every year at Thanksgiving. You will definitely appreciate the photos at future holiday celebrations.

Create a Thanksgiving-Inspired Album

Create an album where everyone writes the things they are grateful for and include pictures taken throughout the day. You should try to do this yearly at every Thanksgiving. Photo albums are a great way for you to remember previous celebrations, relive old memories, and count your blessings.

Create New Recipes

There are several food items on the average Thanksgiving menu, including turkey, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce. How about switching it up? Take a break from your childhood recipes and add a new side dish, make a meal from a different culture, or create a new recipe.

Take Part in a Turkey Trot Race

If sitting at home all day is not your thing, you can participate in the Turkey Trot. The Turkey Trot is a 5K race organized for charity that takes place every year at Thanksgiving. Enjoy a Turkey Trot race where you can burn some extra calories while supporting a good cause.

Travel

Take advantage of the long Thanksgiving weekend by planning a family vacation. You can travel to visit family members you have not seen in a while, or simply visit a dream destination.

Play Thanksgiving Trivia

Have fun with a Thanksgiving trivia contest by putting your friends and family’s knowledge of Thanksgiving to the test. End a memorable day by finding out which family or friend knows more about Thanksgiving.

Plan for Black Friday

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when retailers offer sales and incredible discounts on many goods and services. You can spend Thanksgiving getting ready for the shopping spree by creating a shopping list, researching the best deals, and devising a game plan to achieve it.

Pumpkin Hunt

Come up with genius places to hide mini pumpkins around the house or yard and see who finds the most pumpkins. The kids will have so much fun on this scavenger hunt.

Watch or Play Football

For some people, football and Thanksgiving are two peas in a pod. You can watch a football game on TV or host an exciting football tournament with your family members.

Put a Puzzle Together 

A puzzle is an exciting activity that’s better when everyone contributes. For extra fun, separate the family into groups and find a prize for the winning group. The losing team could be responsible for washing dishes or cleaning up after everyone.

Make Thanksgiving Crafts

Making crafts is a fun activity that kids will love. Make a Thanksgiving fall wreath craft, cootie catcher, or table linen with the names of all family members.

Give Thanks Around the Table

Take this time to reflect on all the good things in your life and have every family member at the table say one thing that makes them truly grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the day we come together with all of our loved ones to show gratitude and make merry. Get creative with the day by leaving your comfort zone to try something new and exciting. You might end up creating a new tradition that everyone will look forward to every year.