10 Thanksgiving Family Traditions You'll Love

Thanksgiving is a time of appreciation and quality time with family and friends. Every family has their traditional Thanksgiving "to do" list that has been passed down generation to generation. Some just cook together while others make crafts. Here are 10 Thanksgiving family traditions you'll love and may incorporate to your holiday season this year.

1) Putting up the Christmas tree - Believe it or not many people put up their Christmas trees on or right before or after Thanksgiving. Mainly because many people are able to help, but also because it brings the family closer together by doing something that doesn't involve media.

2) Cooking together - Many families make dishes together to show the younger generation how to cook and to spend quality time together. This is a great way to communicate and learn at the same time. One of the easiest and most popular dishes to teach is Mac n Cheese.

3) Making Christmas ornaments - Although Thanksgiving is it's own holiday, you will see a lot of families incorporate Christmas into it. Getting plain ornaments and decorating them and putting the year you made it, is a family fun tradition. It allows young and old to be creative and have something to cherish for years.

4) Eating Together - This may seem like a simple and unneeded tradition, but eating together has become an ancient thought so on this holiday many people will sit down at the dinner table, instead of in front of the T.V. and eat dinner. This is special because as culture becomes fixated on social media, impersonal actions and non-social culture, this allows families to spend quality time together and talk.

5) Switch out house photos - This may seem weird, but a lot of families switch out their displayed photos to holiday photos. The normal photos on the wall or being displayed on a table will be replaced with the previous years holiday photos. This is a cute and affordable holiday decor idea that allows others to see what you experienced the previous year.

6) Matching PJ's- Although many may think this is only for Christmas or Halloween, couples and families tend to start shopping for matching pajamas and wear them around Thanksgiving. It is a cute way to showcase your family creativity.

7) Watch the Macy's Day Parade- Every year on Thanksgiving, Macy's has a parade that they show live on T.V. It is usually early enough to watch while families are cooking together and before dinner is done. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade has been a long standing tradition since 1924.

8) Reminisce about lost loved ones - This may sound sad, but some families like to keep memories alive by sharing humorous stories about loved ones who are no longer with us. This is a great way to pass on the legacy of the loved ones and keep their spirit alive. Some may even set aside a drink or have a drink for them.

9) Draw secret Santa names - Larger families with too many people to buy for, typically will do a secret Santa for Christmas. This is the time they select their names and start shopping. Especially, with Black Friday the following day. Many stores have even started opening on Thanksgiving Day.

10) Pie competition - Yes, Yes, Yes, families still compete during the holidays and what better holiday than to have a pie competition. Family members make different type of pies and have judges decide which pie was best (without knowing who made it) and then the winner gets a prize. This could be a cash reward, a year or praise for the best pie or a traveling reward (an award that is kept with the winner until the next year and the new winner is announced).

No matter what your family traditions, be thankful for your family and being able to spend quality time with them this year. Many families have been devastated by Covid and have lost a loved one. If you don't have any family traditions try one of these and see if you like it. Happy Holidays! So happy to share this with you loving folks. Keep loving & living.