Thanksgiving Party!
Tips and Ideas for planning a thankful holiday for your
family and friends! Don't let it be stressful, make this a
Thanksgiving you will all remember and treasure for years to
come!
Thanksgiving is observed as a day to commemorate the Pilgrim's
harvest of 1621, to give thanks for blessings great and small,
and to feast! Set the right tone for your
Thanksgiving party by using simple but colorful decorations.
Incorporate harvest colors into your decor: browns, golds,
reds, yellows and oranges.
One idea for decorating tables is to start by covering them
with orange flat paper. Group tissue pumpkins
in the center, and scatter tissue leaves and a few foil
wrapped chocolates in fall colors down the center of the
table…simple and easy!
Create an inexpensive centerpiece using pilgrim hats.
Select
balloons and curling ribbon to match your theme colors.
Inflate the balloons (always use an odd number-3, 5, or 7)
with helium and attach a weight to the bouquet. If you
prefer not to use helium, attach the balloons to balloon
sticks and press the sticks into a piece of floral foam.
Turn the pilgrim hat upside down, add the balloons and
tissue paper or metallic shred to complete the
centerpiece.
For a terrific but budget friendly table, use 12"
autumn leaf cutouts as mini placemats. Add gold
metallic plates, gold
plastic cutlery, and orange
napkins. Scatter a little gold
confetti or metallic shred in the center of the table.
Balloons can turn any space into a festive and inviting
atmosphere in minutes at a very low cost. You need not
use helium, and will save money using this tip. Inflate
harvest colored balloons
, and tie a 5-8 foot piece of yellow,
red or orange curling ribbon to the end of each one.
Using scotch tape, masking tape, or straight pins, hang
balloons down from the ceiling so they hang at different
lengths. Curl the loose end of the ribbon with scissors.
Group a bunch of them together over a serving table,
over a doorway, or in any creative manner you choose.
Use
bales of hay, cornstalks, uncarved pumpkins and gourds,
dried Indian corn, a scarecrow, or lighted candy corn
in the party room and outside the doorway to greet the
guests.
Tie bows
made of raffia (leave long, flowing tails on the bows)
around the stems of real uncarved pumpkins or gourds
and place a few in the center
of each table.
For a
more elegant look, use tablecloths
and gather a collection of gourds, pumpkins, leaves,
acorns, etc. Spray paint them with gold paint. Arrange
them on your tables, and mingle some long pieces of
wired ribbon (3-3 1/2" wide) amongst the golden
pieces. You could use either a wine colored ribbon or
something with a harvest pattern on it.
Create a
centerpiece by filling a cornucopia/basket with nuts, apples, gourds, Indian corn, fall
leaves, and silk or fresh mums. Many specialty and
grocery store bakeries are now offering bread in a
cornucopia shape—you can eat the centerpiece during
the meal!
For a classroom Thanksgiving party, ,make
place cards for each student. This can be done as a class
activity during the party, or can be done ahead of
time. Mini
frames, little tote
bags, mini
boxes, mini hay bales…all can be
personalized, and then used as take-home favors.
For an
original touch on your Thanksgiving Feast tables, use a
paint pen to
draw little random dots on the handles of plastic
cutlery with theme related colors. Tie the plastic
flatware together with raffia or satin ribbon.
top
Thanksgiving Games
Turkey
Calling Contest – Host a turkey calling contest,
complete with lots of squawking, flapping, wattle shaking,
and pecking. Give each participant a prize with a fun
distinction: "loudest turkey", "most
authentic", "most likely to be spared",
"cutest turkey", etc. This activity can also be
turned into a relay race with family and friends split
into two teams. Loud, but fun! (Ages 4-Adult)
Turkey
Bowling - The turkey will definitely be tenderized after
participating in this game! Use a frozen turkey in place
of a bowling ball (one that comes packaged with a
"handle" attached). The frozen turkey is hurled
at a set of bowling pins (use the real thing, tall wooden
blocks or plastic milk bottles filled with stones). (Ages
5-Adult)
Pass
the Corn – Divide guests into two teams and have them
form two lines. You will need two cobs of dried Indian
corn. At the signal to "go", the corncob is to
be passed from person to person. The catch is that they
can use any part of their bodies, except their hands. If
the corn touches the ground at any time, it must go back
to the beginning of the line again. Whichever team manages
to get the corn to the end of the line first wins the
game. (Ages 4-10)
If
the games can be played outside, "hay" fights
are great fun!
If
you are entertaining a large group of young children,
these games are perfect for those aged 10 and under.
Many of these classic games can be converted to tie
to a thanksgiving/harvest theme with a simple name or prop
change. Try one of the following:
"Pin
the Tail on the Donkey" – "Pin the Wattle
on the Turkey"
"Duck,
Duck, Goose" – "Turkey, Turkey,
Stuffing"
"Hot
Potato" – "Hot Turkey" (with a
stuffed animal turkey)
"Musical
Hats" – "Musical
Pilgrim Hats"
"Bingo"
– use candy corn as game pieces
"Dress
Up Relay" – Use simple scarecrow, Native
American or Pilgrim costumes.
"Ring
Toss" – "Ring around the Gourd"
(assign different point values to different sizes of
gourds, pumpkins, or dried Indian corn.
"Three
Legged or Sack Races" – Add an autumnal touch
by creating an obstacle course using pumpkins, corn
stalks and bales of hay.
Thanksgiving
Activities for Families
Favorites
of the Family – Have the family select their top 10
favorites in a variety of areas. Top ten sports persons,
top 10 politicians, top 10 historical events, top 10
movies, top 10 TV shows, top 10 fads etc. Share everyone's
selections and create a unified family list.
Teach
your children the true meaning of thanksgiving. Make it a
goal to invite one new person to your holiday feast.
Select someone who might be alone or doesn't have the
means. Make it a family charge to identify, select and
invite a special guest.
Be
a tourist for the day/afternoon. Instead of heading to the
stores to shop the day after Thanksgiving, explore your
hometown or the town where you are spending the holidays.
Plan ahead by speaking with the Chamber of Commerce.
Select one or two sites to visit. Is there someone famous
from your town? Visit their old home. Do you have a
special library? Take a tour. Do you have historical homes
or buildings? Take a tour. Is there a famous garden or
park? Take a walk-about. Get out and around in your own
hometown.
Plan
a football extravaganza. If you have a family full of
football fans – take it a step further. Map out the
day's games and have each family select a team per game.
During that game (select one per time period – flipping
channels is optional). Have each family member dress in
their team colors. Serve food that matches the team – a
Texas team would get Tex-Mex food, a new England team –
clam bake items etc.
Traditional
Game Day. Create a personalized family Thanksgiving
Charades Game. During the week leading up to Thanksgiving,
ask each family member to write down or ask a parent to
write down, something that they are thankful for, big or
small. Add to the jar throughout the week. On Thanksgiving
Day, pull the papers out of the jar during a fun game of
charades. On Thanksgiving Day also play traditional board
games
Video
Memory - Let all Thanksgiving guests know ahead of time
that they will be asked to share with the group what they
are thankful for this year. Encourage guests to write down
their answer. Before you eat, have everyone read aloud why
he or she is thankful and videotape each person as he/she
speaks.
Family
trivia quiz. Create your own family trivia game. Starting
early, create simple multiple-choice questions concerning
each family member. The questions can be simple or more
difficult. You might ask favorite foods, music, or colors.
Name of first pet; first grade teacher, childhood teddy
etc. Let each family member see how well they know his or
her family. For fun, structure it from easy to hard like
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire"™.
Plan
a "This is your life" or "Spotlight"
segment during the party. Gather old family videos, photo
albums, school pictures, artwork, trophies, etc., and take
the time to "honor" the life of each of your
family members. Decorate a special chair for each person
to sit in as they are "spotlighted".
Recruit
an adult to dress up as either a pilgrim or an Indian, and
read stories to the children. A great book for a wide
variety of ages is titled "Turkeys, Pilgrims, and
Indian Corn: The Story of the Thanksgiving Symbols",
written by Edna Barth. This would also be the perfect
opportunity for sharing stories of family ancestors
(famous, eccentric, infamous, and those who changed the
course of the lives of all who followed!)
top
Thanksgiving
Crafts for Families
 Create
pilgrim hats that double as snack holders. For each
pilgrim hat, use one black stadium cup, one 6" circle
of black cardboard, a gold or yellow "buckle"
made from cardstock paper, and tape or sticky pads. Fill
the pilgrim hat with a dry snack such as popcorn, pretzels,
wrapped candies. Attach the circle base and buckle. They
make great centerpieces!
Make
festive feather Native American headdress napkin rings to
add glorious fall color to your table. Cut toilet paper
tubes into 1 1/2" wide rings. Paint designs in
festive fall colors on the "rings". Add
construction paper or real feathers. Allow each student to
make a set for his/her family if time permits.
Make
turkeys out of pinecones. Add colorful feathers, wiggly
eyes, and cut and bent pipe cleaners for the beak, wattle
and feet. This is a fun craft activity for a classroom
Thanksgiving or harvest party.
Cover
tables with orange flat paper . Add baskets of markers to
the tables, and allow family and friends to doodle on the
decorative table covers. This is always a hit,
and you can cut out and save the best doodles for the scrapbook!
Make
placecards for each guest. This can be done as a family
activity on Thanksgiving day, or can be completed ahead of
time. A charming and personal touch on any table! Try one of
the following, or create something with special meaning to
your family:
"Thankful
for you because" bags:
These can double as an activity and a placecard on the tables.
You'll need:
Tote
bags or brown paper lunch sacks
Green
paint pen
Raffia
Tissue
leaves in autumn colors
Plenty
of small pieces of paper (approx. 3" X 4" size).
The
tote bags look much more formal, but in a pinch the lunch bags
will do. If you are using the lunch sacks, cut the top of each
sack in a decorative manner. (Use pinking shears, or regular
scissors to trim the size, and give the bag a little
character.) Glue one autumn leaf to the center of each bag at
an angle. Tie raffia into little bows, and glue one to the
base of each leaf with a hot glue gun. Write the name of each
guest on the bags with the green paint pen. Place small pieces
of paper in a basket along with pens and markers. Have each
family member write a note or draw a picture (little ones) of
why they are thankful for each person. Drop notes into bags. A
great self-esteem building activity!
Pilgrim
placecards
You'll
need:
Black
paint pen
Wooden
clothespin
Black
pipe cleaners
Bottle
cap
Construction
paper
Glue
Use
fine tip colored markers to draw faces on the "head"
of each clothespin. Color the rest of the clothespin black.
Just below the head, wrap a black pipe cleaner around the
neck, to create the arms. Wrap another pipe cleaner around the
feet, to make the pilgrim stand up in the bottle cap. Glue on
a black construction paper hat (complete with yellow buckle),
and a white paper vest. Cut nametags from white or yellow
construction paper, and attach to the pilgrim's arms. They
look really cute with the nametag held above the pilgrim's
head.
Mayflower
placecards:
You'll
need:
Terra
cotta colored Sculpey™ clay
Toothpicks
White
paper plate
Fill
with M&M's™ or mini candy bars in fall colors.
Mold
clay into boats similar in shape to the Mayflower. Cut a
good-sized sail out of the edge of a white paper plate. Write
the names of each child on the sails. Poke two holes in the
center of the sail (vertically), and use the toothpick as the
mast. Boats should be approximately 4-5" in length when
completed.
Thanksgiving
Food Ideas
This
annual holiday is observed as a day to commemorate the
Pilgrim's harvest of 1621, to give thanks for blessings great
and small, and to feast! In addition to the traditional
Thanksgiving fare…turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy,
dressing, cranberry sauce, yams, Jell-O™ molds, pecan and
pumpkin pie…add a few fun extras. The following snacks are
easy to make, and many are simple enough for children to make.
Some can do double duty, and work well as table decorations or
crafts…and then gobbled in your harvest feast.
SNACKS:
CORNUCOPIA
OF TREATS -
Create
a centerpiece by filling a horn-of-plenty (cornucopia) basket
with healthy snacks such as apples, bananas, grapes, popcorn,
or a variety of mini muffins (cornbread, blueberry, pumpkin).
Many specialty and grocery store bakeries are now offering
bread in a cornucopia shape. Add an assortment of
"dips" or jams to the table, and the centerpiece can
be munched on during the meal.
Serve
dry snacks in pilgrim hats turned upside down. Popcorn,
pretzels, or wrapped goodies all look much more appetizing
when the presentation is cute!
CRANBERRY
CRITTERS - Cut
a log of canned jellied cranberry sauce into 10 slices. Use
cookie cutters to cut thanksgiving shapes out of the slices.
As an alternative, use a pan of set Jell-O™ (using the
"Jigglers" recipe) to create cutouts.
 TEENEY
TURKEYS –
What you'll need for each turkey: One Nutter Butter™ cookie,
one peanut butter cup, 2 chocolate wafers, chocolate frosting,
8-10 pieces of candy corn, and a few mini M&Ms™ or jelly
beans. Frost the top of the peanut butter cup, and press it
onto the chocolate wafer, lining up one edge of each to the
other. Use additional frosting to attach candy corn along the
other edge to create the appearance of feathers. Frost one
side of the Nutter Butter™ cookie and press it onto the
other side of the peanut butter cup. Use small candies to
create a turkey face and wattle. Using more frosting, attach
the "turkey" to the remaining chocolate wafer. Add
candy corn to the base of the turkey as feet.
MINI
PUMPKIN PIES
–
Instead of baking one large pie, bake mini pies using
ready-made mini pie shells and canned pumpkin pie filling
(prepared as directed on the can). The same concept will work
with apple pie or an apple crumble pie. Kids love to be
involved in baking projects. Mini thanksgiving shaped cookie
cutters can be used to create pie-topping garnish. For each
mini pie cut one or two shapes out of ready-made pie pastry,
bake on a cookie sheet, and add them to the cooled pies.
 CRISPY
POP –
To make 16 pops, you'll need 1-12 oz. bag of Nestle's
TollHouse Chocolate Chips™, 16 ready made Crispy Treats (or
make your own if you have the time—cut into 2 ½" X
4" pieces), 16 pretzel rods (or popsicle sticks), and
some glorious fall colored sprinkles. Cutting little holes
with a knife, stick the pretzel rods into the narrow end of
the Crispy Treats. Melt the entire bag of chocolate chips for
one minute in the microwave, and stir. Dip the end of the
"pop" into the melted chocolate, then sprinkle with
festive sprinkles. Set pops on a cookie sheet covered with wax
paper, and refrigerate until the chocolate sets.
CRAWLIE
POP –
Spiders love to move indoors in the fall...and are thankful
for the warmth our homes provide! For each pop, you'll need 2
black pipe cleaners, 2 wiggly eyes, 1 Tootsie Pop™, and a
4"X4" piece of black foil or black tissue. Wrap the
black foil around the sucker, leaving the existing wrapper in
place. Cut the black pipe cleaners in half, then center them
at the base of the pop and wrap them around the stick, so that
there are four legs on each side. Bend the pipe cleaners to
resemble legs, then glue wiggly eyes in place.
 TASTY
PLACE CARDS
– Bake sugar cookies in the shape of rectangles, and let
cool. With colored gel or frosting, write the names of party
guests on the cookies, and decorate as desired. A miniature
Snickers™ bar attached with frosting will make the cookie
stand. This is a great table decoration, and a nice personal
touch for a small group or classroom of children.
RITZY
BITZY SPIDERS –
Ritz™ crackers, peanut butter, pretzel sticks and
raisins…all you'll need to create these little critters.
Spread one cracker with peanut butter. Break four pretzels in
half for each spider, and add pretzel "legs" to the
first cracker. Spread peanut butter on a second cracker, and
place the peanut butter side down on the pretzel legs. Attach
raisins with peanut butter, and…your spider is ready to join
the warm celebration.
BEVERAGES – Apple cider
served warm or cool is the perfect beverage for a Thanksgiving
gathering. To fill the room with a delicious aroma, fill a
crock-pot with apple cider, and add ¼ cup of maple syrup and
two cinnamon sticks. Simmer on low.
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