Thanksgiving Day Rituals

As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm reminded of my Fun Family Rituals e-book - a compilation of more than 110 fun family routines, behaviors, and activities that families really practice - and really enjoy practicing - as described by the families who really are practicing them.

Here, then, are a few excerpted Thanksgiving favorites:

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On Thanksgiving, my kids make a Thankful Box and have everyone in the house "deposit" an index card telling what they're thankful for. Then, before dessert, we read them one at a time and laugh and cry and thank our lucky stars for our family and friends.

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Each year on the weekend after Thanksgiving, we cut down our Christmas tree and keep it in a bucket of water in the garage until mid-December when we bring it in and decorate it. We have to park the car on the driveway, but we don't mind!

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After Thanksgiving dinner, all the moms of our extended family get together with handfuls of cash. We take whatever we were planning on spending on each of our 13 nieces and nephews for Christmas and neatly separate it all into envelopes - each marked with a child's name. When everyone is done putting their money in, the moms get their own kids' envelopes so that they can spend the money on gifts 'on behalf of' the aunts and uncles. It really streamlines the shopping process. And besides, when it comes to buying presents, moms really do know best!

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For more Fun Family Rituals: www.funfamilyrituals.com.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!