We love to celebrate holidays, and in our house, Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday. We enjoy time together with family and good food to eat, but most importantly, we enjoy a no-rush day. A cozy Thanksgiving at Home can be relaxed. We promise.
While a relaxed holiday with nothing to do is exactly what we adults like, it’s not always a pleasant experience for everyone. You know what I’m talking about. It’s not much fun to hear, “I’m bored,” “When do we eat?” or even “Let me help. Let me help!” (Which you most certainly can do, it’s the whining that is hard to handle!)
If your family is even a little bit similar to mine, you know that I am not joking. Knowing that these attitudes are very likely, we simply need to have a plan in our back pocket. So continue reading below for a list to help make Thanksgiving a satisfying holiday for everyone.
Table of Contents
Take Advantage of Thanksgiving Menu Conveniences
- Make it a potluck – Every dish brought by a guest is one less for you to prepare.
- Order your groceries online and have them delivered to your house – While there are plenty of Twin Cities delivery options, if you live near a Jerry’s Food’s in Woodbury, Edina, or Eden Prairie, you have a local option. They have launched Good2Go Online so that you can buy your groceries and have them delivered to you.
- Pick up a full Thanksgiving to-go meal package
Several local restaurants offer Thanksgiving meals to go. Here are a few ideas:- Thanksgiving Desserts: B’beri Dessert
- Baked Goods: Butter Bakery Café, Minneapolis
- Saint Paul Farmers’ Market – Take advantage of special hours. This is the one day each year that the downtown market is open on a weekday. Stop by Wednesday, November 24th between 10am-4pm to get fresh, local Thanksgiving fixings.
- Use Some Convenience items. Maybe make Grandma’s special sweet potatoes recipe, but use box mashed potatoes?
Don't Forget Breakfast & Snack Ideas to Tide You Over Until the Main Feast
Easy Breakfast Plan
Joy and family traditionally start holiday mornings with a breakfast tray. Trays are prepared ahead the night before and are made up of whatever meats, cheeses, finger fruits and bread/crackers the family wants. No tray is ever alike, but its always an easy way to start out the morning. The tray will be left out for snacking until dinner is served.
Snacks to Tide You Over
Keep Kids Engaged Crafting Thanksgiving Decor
No judgment if you haven’t done this already, but now is time to take down your Halloween spiderwebs and supplement the pumpkins with fall decor. Check your pantry and basement for napkins, table settings, placemats, candles and wreaths with a harvest feel. You could even just add some pretty fall leaves, pinecones or spruce boughs from your garden to a vase. Or let the kids blow up red, yellow & orange balloons to hang aroudn the dining room.
If you have time and space for storage, you could start picking up fall décor at thrift stores leading up to Thanksgiving. (You can even give it all back after the Holiday if you don’t want to store it for another year). Think fake food in a cornucopia or fake flowers or leaves in oranges, reds and yellows. Watch for table cloths and napkins in those same fall colors. Grab up some extra flatware and glasses while you are at it. Let the kids layout the table!
Add to the coziness of your home by decorating around your dining room and Thanksgiving Table with these cute Thanksgiving crafts.
Gratefulness Garland Banner
- Cut out triangles or squares.
- Give each person a marker to fill out what they are thankful for.
- Use washi tape to attach each flat to a string.
Cute Turkeys Décor
Make one of these small turkey plates for everyone at the table, and you can use them as place cards for guests. Thanks to Our Savior School in Excelsior for this tutorial.
Foster A Spirit of Selflessness with Volunteer Projects
These are some projects you can do together at home. Gather the supplies, store them in a box until Thanksgiving, and make serving others a party.
By filling Zipper Bags with snacks and personal items, 8 year old Evie passed these small tokens of Good Wishes to the homeless men and women she would meet throughout the winter months. Thanksgiving is a great day to fill bags and create a stockpile in your car.
When you are in the hospital for an extended period of time, it can wear on your soul. Taking the time to send love to those in the hospital is a gift. They are seen and remembered. Even if you do not know anyone in the hospital, you can create cards or gifts for those who need them most.
Our friends at Doing Good Together shared this idea with us. You could watch a movie that makes you feel Thankful or you could get a head start on your Holiday Movie Bingefest.
Turn Family Movie Night into a Cozy Act of Kindness
In November of 2015 Sarah Aadland from Doing Good Together™‘s Big-Hearted Families™ wrote this guest post. She offered so many great ideas to help you make We Can Give Back Month a great family experience and Turn Family Movie Night into a Cozy Act of Kindness. With the weather cooling down, we think this is
Thanksgiving Games and Activities
Indoor Games for Kids
75 Fun & Free Indoor Games for Kids: Boredom Busters for All Ages
Our giant list of Indoor Games for Kids offers game ideas and kid-friendly things to do all day long. From toddler approved busy activities they can do nearby, to a fun scavenger hunt that gets bigger kids moving, to parlor games for bigger kids and adults, we have ideas for all ages:
- – BALLOON GAMES –
- – SENSORY & SORTING FUN GAMES –
- – TAPE GAMES –
- – SOCK FUN GAMES –
- – TOY CAR GAMES –
- – MOVEMENT GAMES –
- – SCAVENGER HUNTS & TREASURE HUNTS –
- – TABLETOP GAMES & BOARD GAMES –
- – CARD GAMES –
- – PAPER GAMES –
- – QUIZ GAMES & SPOKEN GAMES –
- Use candy corn or candy pumpkins as game pieces – candy corn & pumpkin tic-tac-toe or bingo?
- Make a parlor game into a “gratitude game“:
- Act out things you are grateful for in Charades
- Eye Spy items you appreciate
- Choose items that invoke the Thanksgiving spirit for your Alphabet Game category.
- How about “Pilgrims Jeopardy” or
- “Thanksgiving Dinner Fortunately/Unfortunately“.
- Pin the Turkey Leg on the Turkey?
(All of these games are described in our indoor games article with adaptations to fit the age of participants)
Thanksgiving Mad Libs
If you need something now, you can print Mad Libs freebies here. But if you are planning ahead, these little books are affordable enough that you can grab some for all the kids. We picked some of our favorites for our Bookshop*.
Gianna shared this and a few more Activities for kids during Thanksgiving on Kare11.
Buy your feathers from Amazon here: Touch of Nature 38034 Turkey Flats, 34 grams, Assorted Mix
Participate in a Turkey Trot (Even if it is DIY)
If you don’t want to commit to an event. Get the family out for a walk or a run around the block. If you have a lot of active children to entertain, bring a stop watch and make it a race to the finish line.
Twin Cities Events:
- Twin Cities in Motion will have a Turkey Day 5K and kids always participate FREE in TCM races! Learn More Here.
- The City of Burnsville hosts the Run Now Gobble Later 5K & Kids Fun Run the weekend before Thanksgiving. Register Here.
Play Together in the Backyard
Thanksgiving afternoon may also be a good time to pull out our giant list of Outdoor Games or just toss around a football in the backyard.
Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade live from your living room on NBC/Peacock from 9am-Noon Eastern on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 9, 2024) or watch a rebroadcast later in the day. Learn more here.
Keep Kids Entertained During Today's Football Games
If your idea of Thanksgiving fun is to watch football, we’ve gathered some Easy Games & Kid-Friendly Snacks for big game days.
Connect with Loved Ones
Schedule a video call with friends and/or family members who couldn’t be with you this year – nana, a favorite cousin or anyone you love and miss.
Share These Thanksgiving Stories
Cozy up with some apple cider and comfy pillows and blankets for read-aloud cuddles. We’ve included books by local authors and some favorite classics:
What to do with the Leftovers
Grilled Rachels
Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey Pot Pie is a good way to freeze and enjoy your leftovers at a later date. Just pile leftovers from turkey and side dishes into a store-bought pie shell as you are cleaning up, cover with another pie shell and freeze until you are looking for a fast meal. Turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, and veggies are obvious additions; but don’t be afraid to get creative. Maybe tuck these little flavor bursts into your pie crust: pear, yams, cranberry sauce?
Leftover Mashed Potatoes Pancakes
Mix your leftover mashed potatoes with flour and eggs (and whatever flavors you want — cheese, onions, chives, garlic) to make an easy breakfast dish on Friday morning. Lisa from Twin Cities Frugal Mom shares a recipe for Potato Pancakes.
Get out and Have Some Family Fun Thanksgiving Weekend
November Fun
Get Ready for Christmas
- Festive Homes and Holiday Lightings start showing up this weekend. Find your favorite Christmas & Holiday Light Displays.
- Early Holiday & Christmas Events around the Twin Cities
Thanksgiving Recipes to Try
As moms of big families, Anne, Joy and I know our way around an oven, but we are definitely not on the level of some of our local food blogging friends. These Thanksgiving meal recipes for things to serve alongside your roasted turkey come from Minnesota food bloggers:
- A Less Sweet Pumpkin Pie Alternative (or addition): Thanksgiving Pumpkins Rice from Dining with Alice.
- A Classic Side Dish: Fresh Green Bean Casserole. This gluten-free recipe is courtesy of The Rustic Foodie.
- A Minnesota Dining Table Must-Have: Twin Cities Frugal Mom Blog offers a true Minnesota Tator Tot Hot Dish from her church’s kitchen
- The Turkey Day Favorite of Finicky Eaters: The Best Macaroni and Cheese from MSP Magazine
- Midwest Style: Festal Golden Pumpkin Pie from Tangled Up in Food.
- More Pie Please: Rustic Foodie: Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie.
- I could use one more slice: Rustic Foodie:
Need some help with the turkey. Dining with Alice can help you there, toog
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Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind
That is a lovely quote, Gomy.