35 Fun and Meaningful Thanksgiving Traditions to Add to Your Holiday

Select something suitable for whole family (psst—we've got a few ideas) and retire to the living room to see who will secure victory.

Whether you hang a quirky old painting or put out the best of your ironstone collection, a fully decorated sideboard display is sure to add a festive flair to your Thanksgiving celebration.

Cap the evening off with a roaring fire in the backyard. It's the perfect place to unwind post-meal.

A little friendly competition never hurt anyone! If your family isn't into football, might we suggest a different activity, such as ping pong, to get the blood pumping? Winner gets first access to dessert!

Nothing will gear you up for a big midday meal quite like a brisk 5K! Encourage the whole family sign up for this healthy morning activity, which will still leave plenty of time for feasting afterwards.

Whether you're watching, attending, or playing (our favorite!), football is a big part of many families' Turkey Day itinerary.

Express gratitude for family, friends, and food with a meaningful Thanksgiving prayer or Thanksgiving poem. Make it a tradition to go around the table and have everyone say what they are most thankful for in 2023.

Join Tom Turkey and all of your other favorite balloon friends for one of the most American Thanksgiving traditions—the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade! Watch performances from pop stars, marching bands, and more.

Use old family photos as a nostalgic touch on the table and to inspire "remember when" banter. After the meal wraps up, watch old family movies or flip through photo albums for a few good laughs (and possibly tears, too).

Get outside after that epic Thanksgiving dinner and kick off the Christmas season with a trip to a nearby Christmas tree farm. Major bonus points if you chop your tree down yourself!

As a welcome for out-of-town guests (or just another way to celebrate the season), host a casual, tailgate-style party. Bake pumpkin-themed goodies and make a big batch of warm apple cider. Talk about a warm welcome and something everyone will look forward to year after year!

Whether on Thanksgiving Day or another time during November, celebrate your nearest and dearest friends by hosting a Friendsgiving feast. Because after all: "There are friends, there's family, and then there are friends who become family."

Most of the activities on this list are ideal as Thanksgiving traditions for small families. From setting a pretty table to taking a post-Thanksgiving walk, young families can start small and pick traditions that are right for them.

Welcome guests with loads of fall decor around your front door, including mounds of pumpkins, vintage lanterns, and a wreath made from a tobacco basket twirled up with magnolia leaves, bittersweet, and mini pumpkins.

Create the longest, most welcoming Thanksgiving table your town (or neighborhood) has ever seen. A casual, potluck-style feast is the way to go here. The more, the merrier!

Whether you've inherited your great-grandmother's china or use mix-and-match plates from your own collection, infusing vintage vibes for your Thanksgiving table makes for a lovely, nostalgic setting.

Keep the children occupied while the food is being prepared by stocking a table with Thanksgiving coloring sheets and more and the makings for a turkey-themed craft or two.

Remember all the guests who've graced your Thanksgiving table—past and present, too—by creating a memory table runner. To make, have guests sign the runner with a disappearing pen, then embroider over the signatures.

Head out to a nearby orchard and gather the freshest pecans. Your pecan pie will never taste better!

Celebrate the warm spices of the season with a DIY cinnamon stick placecard holder. Simply wrap the ends of a cinnamon stick with red twine and insert a place card in its natural opening. You can use them year after year.