THANKSGIVING PARTY IDEAS:

THANKSGIVING PARTY INVITATIONS:

• Take brown cardstock and fold in half. Type “Please celebrate this time of Bountiful Blessings with our family” on coordinating brown patterned paper. Attach a small piece of burlap and a sticker of a thanksgiving basket overflowing with corn, pumpkins and gourds. Include place and time on the inside of the card.

THANKSGIVING PARTY DECORATIONS:

• Using fall colors like orange, brown, burgundy, green and gold will create a warm and inviting feel.

• Decorate the buffet or dining room table with berries and nuts in decorative baskets or an arrangement of fresh fruits and pumpkins in bowls.

• Create holiday place settings by attaching personalized nametag to brown cardstock then use raffia to tie on small gourds and set at each setting - you could include the meaning of each person's name on each places setting, or you could include their name and why your thankful for that person on each place setting.

• Create a decorative journal or gratitude journal and encourage guests to write down things in which they are thankful - you can add to the journal every year and flip back to review what was written in the past.

• Adorn your table with scented candles decorated with paper and ribbon

• Garland accented with brown and gold leaves can be placed on mantle

• Cut out the tops of small pumpkins to create votive holders to spread around tables and centerpiece

• Gather leaves and pine cones from your nature walk and place in a wicker basket

THANKSGIVING PARTY ACTIVITIES/GAMES:

• Use a white tablecloth at the dinner table and set out gold, silver, copper and orange permanent markers. Have each person write one thing they are the most thankful for and be sure to sign and date. Treat this as a family heirloom and start a tradition each year to have guests read from previous years and add new thankful times to it.

• Have a thankful collage set up at the children table. Make available paper, scissors, glue, magazines and markers for them to draw or paste pictures of things they are thankful for. Collect all the art and keep in a safe place so you can use it as decorations for years to come.

• Turkey bowling is played with you guessed it, A frozen Turkey. Set up bowling pins, plastic coke bottles, or tall wooden blocks and each contestant attempts to roll the turkey and hit as many pins down as they can. The winner gets to carve the turkey!

• Let children decorate their own headbands made of leather, feathers and Indian designs

• Have a chest full of pilgrim hats, Indian crowns made of feathers, aprons, belts, white shirts and other pilgrim/Indian clothing for the kids to dress up and act out a play

• Volunteer an adult to dress up as a pilgrim or Indian and read stories to the children

• Pre-make index-size cards with the heading of “I am thankful for:” have everyone write out what they are thankful for on their card and then hang all the cards across the mantle - designate a special someone to read all the cards aloud. And then have everyone guess which guest that card originated with. Pull the cards out year after year for guests to look through - or even make a scrapbook as a family heirloom for all the family to share

THANKSGIVING PARTY FAVORS:

• Popcorn placed in little drawstring bags

• Candy corn in little tins

• Pumpkin cookies

• Carmel apples

• Cornucopias - sugar cones filled with fruit shaped candies

• Little stuffed animal turkeys

• Pilgrim hats

• “Thankful for you because” cards- handmade cards from children expressing their favorite times shared together with each family member