Family traditions for Thanksgiving
What are your family’s Thanksgiving traditions? Here are some ideas from Hudson Valley families.
Sarah Coppola in Port Ewen: “Last year we started the tradition of making a Thanksgiving tree – basically twigs in a vase with little decorative papers hung all around with things we were thankful for written on them. Everyone helped decide what they would say. Some of my 2-year-old’s were interesting.”
Nancy Chusid in Marbletown: “Apples to Apples.”
Chris Ruger in New Paltz: “My daughter and I start Thanksgiving by volunteering at the Turkey Trot.”
Debra Lundgren in Lomontville: “Our kids make their own Thanksgiving Day Parade that runs down our main hallway and into the living room. They started with hand-pulled preschool toy wagons with stuffed animals and moved up to Lego robotic creations that propelled themselves. Even though they are older now (college and high school), they will still rig up something for this year, no doubt.”
Mark and Donna Eis in Walden suggest going for a family hike the day after Thanksgiving. Donna says, “It’s the opposite of shopping, and helps you work up an appetite for leftovers!”
Beth Sirof in New Paltz: “I volunteer with my boys at the Turkey Trot! Then run it.”
Violet Batycki in Poughkeepsie: “Mid-Hudson Vegetarian Society Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner at the Reformed Church in Rhinebeck.”
Kristi Ashley in Hopewell Junction: “On Thanksgiving itself, the kids help make a big meal, and we watch football and play games. During our dinner we all talk about what we are thankful for this year. The day after Thanksgiving we spend the day decorating the house for the holidays. The kids love deciding where all the decorations go and pulling out their holiday collections. My daughter has a collection of ornaments, one for every year she’s been alive; my oldest son has a nutcracker collection; and my younger son has a snow globe collection. We take pictures for our holiday cards. And we play games all weekend long, peppered with holiday movies.”
Margie Watters in LaGrange: “If there are children, we put out paper placemats for them (cloth for adults) with fall and Thanksgiving stickers and crayons for them to decorate while they’re waiting. Also, while food is cooking, children can make napkin rings out of strips of colored paper and stickers held together with tape. They can also make place cards with names of those sharing dinner; yellow index cards folded like tents work well. Often, instead of a “grace” before the meal, we’ve gone around the table and each person tells something that they are especially thankful for this year.”
John Lauffer in Red Hook: “A couple weeks before Thanksgiving we take a box and tape it shut with a slot on top. Then we ask our extended family to e-mail things they are thankful for. We too write out things and add to the box. Then we open it on Thanksgiving and read them all out loud. We transcribe them all and send to all those who contributed.”
Susan Miller in Plattekill: “We always have our local family over. Last year Nina requested that everyone dress up as farmers. With our kids, once is enough to make a tradition, so this year we’ll be in costume again – this year, fall creatures or folk.”
Nicole Blatter: “When the kids were little babies, we would give them their Thanksgiving bath in the turkey pan. I know it’s silly, but it makes for a great picture.”
Julie Peterson in Woodstock: “We make a Thankful Tree. We paint a big tree and glue leaves to the tree. Each leaf has something we are thankful for on it. So nice to watch it change every year.”
Jamie Smith in Port Ewen: “We do the normal routine like every other family, but my two little humans and I stay home and share the night with just us. I know some families have big family dinners, but I am most thankful for my little ones, so my 6-year-old, my 2-year-old and I have a huge turkey dinner, just us three! Also, we pick our favorite Thanksgiving food and donate to the food pantry. I don’t make enough money to live sometimes, but the holidays are a time I like to show my kids even the little things can help. Just today, my daughter made ‘I am thankful for’ cards and wrote a family member on each, then she drew a picture of her and that family member or friend on that card, then she signed her name and she is planning on giving them out on Thanksgiving. Totally cute craft, and all you need are markers and construction paper.”
Denise Summerford in Wallkill: “We have a Thanksgiving tablecloth that everyone signs and draws on each year. We have a lot of extended family and different people that have joined us over the years, and it is a nice way to keep track of who we have shared the holiday with.”
Join the family! 
