There's Several Things That Can Be Done to Ensure This is the Best Thanksgiving Ever

Thanksgiving is a major holiday any year, but it's taken on more significance as of late. Time with family has become a truly precious commodity, and many households are eager to travel great distances to see loved ones near and far. Before you and your family sit down to feast on the best cooking you can come up with, it's a smart move to take a bit of time to plan your time of thanks. Thanksgiving is special in how it only happens once a year, but it is also something that happens every year.

There's no need to abandon any traditions your family loves and practices every year, but you can also make this Thanksgiving a unique and entertaining experience with the right ideas. Implement enough of them and do it well, and you might just make this Thanksgiving the best one your family has ever had so far!

1 - Let the Games Begin

Your typical Thanksgiving might center around the main meal where everyone gathers round, and that should still be part of the festivities. However, rather than have everyone sitting around before and after, why not a day of games? Let everyone work on a jigsaw puzzle together after the table is clear. Set up some outdoor games for before the sun goes down. Even get some family-friendly multiplayer video games going in the living room. Your home can be a miniature amusement park of sorts where people are active and happy instead of just dozing off while they digest the tryptophan.

2 - Double the Pumpkin Fun

In many families, Thanksgiving is one of only two holidays where pumpkins get used, and it's the only holiday where pumpkin is actually used as a food. Rather than just make a huge pumpkin pie that everyone might not have room for after all the turkey, make mini pumpkin pies that can be passed around on a plate as a finger food instead of a full dessert. For extra points, save the pumpkin shell you carve out and use it as a serving vessel for a dip before the actual meal. Your Facebook friends will be salivating and jealous.

3 - Schedule Simultaneous Dinners

Chances are, someone in your family won't be able to travel and join everyone else for turkey day. Chances are also good that someone in your family can set up a laptop or TV at the end of your table. Instead of a phone call after dinner to check in on them, why not video chat with them at the same time you both eat? Grandparents wary of travel during a pandemic or who just can't physically make it can still participate in the festivities.

4 - Make It a Theme Party

Let everyone know who is attending in advance that you're going to do this. Decide on a theme for your dinner, and treat it like a costume party. Whether you go '60s Chic or '90s Grunge, there are many different styles everyone can dress up. Thanksgiving is less than a month after Halloween, so people will have ideas for costumes or appearances they either saw or just didn't get to try. That, and stores will have plenty of costumes, props, and accessories on clearance. Put together a pile, and let everyone have some fun.

5 - Put Together a Playlist

Music might not be a Thanksgiving tradition, but it could quickly become one. Have everyone in the family list three to five songs they like, and then make sure they're appropriate for the whole family. Everyone will eventually hear something they like. Also, even if people hear a few tunes they don't like, it will make for fun conversation. Some family members might even get to expand their musical horizons. For an eccentric twist on this, throw some Halloween and Christmas music. Bracketing the holiday like this can help everyone give thanks for what recently passed but also look ahead to what is to come.