Make This Year Special with These 7 Memorable Thanksgiving Activities
When you think about Thanksgiving activities, your mind might instantly go to food—and honestly, same! From those big, beautiful spreads of our favorite recipes to the smells that fill the kitchen, it’s easy to see why food takes center stage.
But Thanksgiving is also about family, laughter, stories, and togetherness that make the day so special. It’s the perfect time to slow down, be present, and enjoy simple Thanksgiving activities that help create memories you’ll cherish for years to come.
So many families are spread far and wide. And with our booked and busy schedules, not to mention the rising cost of travel, it may not be as easy as it once was to connect with our loved ones. So, it’s important to spend the time that we can together engaging in meaningful activities, and Thanksgiving is a perfect time to do it.
Some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase, we earn a commission, but it won’t affect your purchase price or experience.
How to make Thanksgiving more special?
It’s great to spend time with loved ones. But taking an extra step to make that cherished time even more meaningful is something special. Being intentional about planning special activities for this wonderful holiday will be so worth it. Your family will thank you!
Tip: Planners are great for organizing your notes and ideas, especially for the holidays!
Here are some ideas for creating Thanksgiving traditions that last:
1. Prep Thanksgiving dinner as a family.
Even though we may have a favorite chef in the family, it’s not okay for one person to be responsible for all of the family meal preparation. Make the family meal planning and preparation a group effort.
One idea is to make everyone responsible for a certain dish or have everyone chip in on the preparation of the dish. Assign tasks to each family member so everyone knows exactly what they are responsible for. This can be a fun (or funny) activity depending on who is assigned to do what.
2. Collect food and take it to a soup kitchen.
It’s easy to forget that everyone is not as fortunate as we are, especially during the holidays. Encourage your family members to collect canned food and bring it with them to the holiday celebration.
Then, you can package it together and donate it to a local food pantry or shelter. Your family will remember doing something good to help someone in need.
3. Start a new tradition.
How about putting a fresh spin on Thanksgiving? Instead of baking the turkey, try frying it or perhaps forgoing turkey altogether. Maybe consider trying something new for a change like prime rib or lamb?
Or maybe you really shake things up and have a barbecue for Thanksgiving instead of the traditional holiday spread? Talk it over with your family and maybe even take a vote to see who would be up for trying something new this Thanksgiving.
4. Update your family history.
The Thanksgiving holidays usually brings extended family together. As the family gets older, it’s important to preserve your family’s history and share the wisdom of the ages.
Use this time together to have the older generation share meaningful stories with the younger generation. Maybe even have children prepare questions for their older relatives. This is a great time to record some facts about your family that you can store and share with the entire family.
Tip: Consider using Legacybox to preserve family movies, photos and film.
5. Go for a post-dinner walk.
Instead of sitting back and taking that post-dinner nap, how about lacing up those sneakers and going on a post-dinner walk. Head to a local park or hit the streets right in your neighborhood and walk off some of those extra calories. This is a perfect time to share in conversation with your family.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll be ready for another snack when you get back from your stroll!
6. Connect with family members who couldn’t be in attendance.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you can’t get everyone together for the holidays. Thanks to technology, it’s easy to set up video conferences so you can connect with loved ones no matter how far away they are.
Schedule some time to connect with your loved one while everyone is gathered together. That way, those who couldn’t be in attendance can feel like they were a part of the day.
7. Plan your Black Friday shopping strategy.
If you and your family are brave enough to go Black Friday shopping, take some time to plan your strategy. Check the internet for the best sales and make your list of must-have items so you know exactly where you want to go to get the items you want.
Maybe you don’t even want to shop? Plan the best spots to go for people-watching so you can catch all the chaos of the busiest shopping day of the year!
Thanksgiving is a great time to enjoy each other’s company. Why not make it more fun by engaging in memorable activities that extend beyond eating and watching football.
As the years go by, your family will appreciate the effort you put into bringing them all together and into doing fun things they’ll remember forever.
