Want to start a new Thanksgiving tradition

[Anonymous]

My family is just my daughter and me. She’s currently 2 (almost 3). For Thanksgiving, we just eat with friends. That’s fine, and I actually really love not traveling to be with extended family. It’s so much less stressful than the other holidays. But it doesn’t feel super special or celebratory. I’d like to start some traditions for our little family of 2. I can’t think of anything. I know some folks volunteer. Some people run in a turkey trot. What else do people do to celebrate Thanksgiving other than eat a big meal?

[Anonymous]

I love the idea of starting your own traditions!

We stay local and eat at a restaurant with friends (I used to cook but realized I needed the day just to celebrate and that worked out better for everyone). But even though we eat at the restaurant, I still make at least a favorite pie or two with my dd who loved to help even when she was little. If I have time and energy, I also usually make some of my favorite fixings to have in the fridge for "leftovers." The food and the smells of it cooking remind me of when I was little and it feels cozy.

We watch the macy's parade in the morning while we're baking, say what we're thankful for at the meal, and then we go back to our house for dessert & goofy board games after.

When dd was around 4 and got interested in writing, I got a big pack of scratch paper leaves and every year she writes what she's thankful for on a few and it's so sweet to keep them and other decorations over the years and put everything out over the course of the month and make it pretty and homey.

Then I facetime with my cousins and sister (we used to all get together as kids and still have our annual visit), talk to my mom and inlaws, and watch MST3K (tradition - weird I know, but it's what we cousins used to do when we were teens and it feels like Thanksgiving to me!)

[Anonymous]

The evening before, make her very favorite things for dinner; even things that don't go together. So even if it is Campbell's princess soup, cut-up bananas, sliced cucumbers, cheese cubes, Ritz crackers and chocolate pudding, it's a buffet of favorites.

Then, on Thanksgiving Day, enjoy a nice meal with your friends. Have your daughter help you pick out a nice hostess gift, or a dish to bring, or a contribution in some way.

Morning of, you can always watch the parade together!

[Anonymous]

So sweet, OP! We do the turkey trot and my tradition is to go with ham, not turkey...so glad we switched that tradition.

I will tell you, that even us (family of four) it does not feel special without a guest. So I highly encourage you to think of friends or acquaintances to have over. It can be the same people every year, or different people. It just makes it special; I don't know why! Especially with teens.

My mom passed away this spring, and she was always our special guest. So I need to figure this out, too.

[Anonymous]

I am also a single mom to one daughter. Now that she's a teen we have taken a trip the last three years - we have gone to Seattle, Chicago, Portland, etc.

But when we were home, we did NOT try to make it into some big Family Holiday like commercials push you to. We'd go to a Thanksgiving dinner , or if we weren't invited to one we'd have dinner at home. Then we'd go to walk around the neighborhood to see who was putting up Christmas lights.

Then we go home. I go to the library before Wednesday to get some good books, and find something good on Netflix. We generally go to a museum the Friday after.

[Anonymous]

Watching a parade on tv and making arts and crafts projects (turkey hands) or creating art with fall leaves, pine cones, etc, feels so seasonal and joyful to me. The traditions we create are the best traditions!!

[Anonymous]

Go to a movie that night

[Anonymous]

I used to love Thanksgiving when I was young. Now it is my least favorite holiday. We have started to do a few things as a family over the holiday weekend as new traditions which are fun, but Thanksgiving day is always at my MIL's house. No conversation, mediocre "traditional" Thanksgiving food, and lots of awkwardness. UGH

[Anonymous]

Smithsonians are open on Thanksgiving. So wake up, take a walk, watch 15 min of the parade (that’s about all I can handle). Then head to the Mall or the zoo. Enjoy a few hours. Then attend your meal or eat just the two of you. Pick a movie you love that she will like (Mary Poppins, Muppet Treasure Island) and make cider or hot cocoa and watch it.

[Anonymous]

Let it happen organically. As she gets older, be ready to embrace new things. That can be the tradition!

After my parents divorced it was just my mom and me for a few Thanksgivings. It was pretty awesome. Granted I was older (teenage). But we'd go to museum down town, walk around, then eat out. Or one year we ate the pie for breakfast instead of after the full dinner. We'd drop in on other people's Thanksgivings (which was always really fun!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let it happen organically. As she gets older, be ready to embrace new things. That can be the tradition!

After my parents divorced it was just my mom and me for a few Thanksgivings. It was pretty awesome. Granted I was older (teenage). But we'd go to museum down town, walk around, then eat out. Or one year we ate the pie for breakfast instead of after the full dinner. We'd drop in on other people's Thanksgivings (which was always really fun!).

How did you go about dropping in on other's thanksgivings? It does sound fun but did they know it was the the two of you and invited you? Or did you just stop over?

[Anonymous]

My daughter and I bake. I know it's not super unique, but each year we bake a bundt cake, and each year we change the recipe (pumpkin cake, rum cake, chocolate cake, etc).

What we don't change is the decor. We turn our cake into a turkey using colored sugar and large marshmallows. It's super easy for kids to make the marshmallow decorations.

I don't use this cake recipe, but this post does show how to make the turkey part (I also don't use the food marker, I solely use marshmallows and sugar): https://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/chocolate-dipped-marshmallow-turkey-cake/885b24fa-4005-4b41-aad6-35605d3b968b



We've also made turkey cookies using candy corn as feathers, rolo faces, with gel icing for face details.

[Anonymous]

Ever since our 1st chik was born, we walk down to our neighborhood lake and take a picture by these large rocks. It has been so nostalgic to see us and the subsequent kids grow....been doing it for 12 yrs.

For me, I grew up raking our (huge) yard on Thanksgiving with my dad and siblings. It took us into the early afternoon. Tired, hungry, and feeling the crisp Fall air, we'd come into the house smelling the Turkey and all of the sides cooking. Dinner never tasted so good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter and I bake. I know it's not super unique, but each year we bake a bundt cake, and each year we change the recipe (pumpkin cake, rum cake, chocolate cake, etc).

What we don't change is the decor. We turn our cake into a turkey using colored sugar and large marshmallows. It's super easy for kids to make the marshmallow decorations.

I don't use this cake recipe, but this post does show how to make the turkey part (I also don't use the food marker, I solely use marshmallows and sugar): https://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/chocolate-dipped-marshmallow-turkey-cake/885b24fa-4005-4b41-aad6-35605d3b968b



We've also made turkey cookies using candy corn as feathers, rolo faces, with gel icing for face details.

This is darn cute

[Anonymous]

okay that turkey cake is adorable!