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Try something new this Thanksgiving

Tired of doing the same thing each Thanksgiving? Turkey and football are some of the classics, but you could be having more fun! Thanksgiving is a time to practice gratitude, connect with family and eat one heck of a meal. However, it's easy to get stuck in the same old routine.  

If you’re ready to shake things up a bit, try one of these creative traditions to help make the holiday more meaningful and memorable!  

New Thanksgiving traditions to try this year

Create a gratitude jar

Before your family or friends come over to eat, set out slips of paper and pens. As guests arrive, encourage them to write one thing they’re grateful for on the paper. You can read them after dinner or save them to read next year. If you need some inspiration or want to design something special, check out these gratitude jar examples on Pinterest. 

Share a slideshow of your year

Families and close groups of friends can have a lot of fun looking at photos from the past year. If you have a lot of people at your Thanksgiving celebration, consider limiting each person to their top three photos. If you don’t see each other much throughout the year, this is a great way to quickly connect and share what you’ve experienced.  

Walk, trot or run

If you’re active and the weather is nice, consider going on a family walk. You could also sign up for a Thanksgiving 5K race in the morning. A lot of cities offer these events, and running one could be a fun way to start the day. You don’t have to run in these 5K events! Walking is fine and according to the American Heart Association, walking helps lower your chances of heart disease and can reduce stress.  

Evansville, Indianapolis, Lafayette and many other Indiana communities host these events. Check online to find one in a city or town near you!  

Engage in some friendly competition

After dinner, throw down the gauntlet and provide some prizes for a board game or trivia competition. Before Thanksgiving, take a poll to determine which games are the family favorites. If you choose to play trivia, use an online platform like Kahoot! You can set up your own questions with categories ranging from family to football and music to movies.  

Give back

If you’re lucky enough to be surrounded by family, friends and food at Thanksgiving, recognize that not everyone will have the same experience. According to Feeding America, 48 million people in the U.S. face food insecurity and hunger exists in every community in the country. Band together to give back! You can take up a collection to donate to a food bank or vote on a volunteer opportunity to tackle together in the coming weeks.  

Don’t let this stuffing-centric holiday get stuffy! Pick one or two of these ideas to implement this Thanksgiving. You never know, they might become the moments everyone starts looking forward to most!  

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