Thanksgiving Traditions

Did you know that there's actually articles out there for Thanksgiving traditions? Coming up on Thanksgiving I started wondering what traditions were out there and discovered a lot of information. So here it is. The top, or at least some of the most interesting, Thanksgiving traditions that I could find.

1. Parades- Okay seriously guys maybe it's some sort of deficiency on my part but I really don't understand the purpose of parades. And yet for some people it's a huge part of Thanksgiving day. The Macy's day parade for instance is a huge deal! And apparently it's not just a thing in New York City. There's actually parades in a lot of cities all across the country. Huh, who knew?

2. Football- Yep this is a huge thing in a lot of homes, probably less of a thing then it was a few years ago before the NFL took just a nose dive in ratings but... that's another subject. All over there are families gathering together in front of the T.V. to take in the pregame, the game and the post game breakdown.
But it's not just the professionals who get to play. Many families have the fun tradition of playing their own backyard football game. Which, when you think about it, is a pretty good way to burn off some of those calories and enjoy the weather without freezing to death in the winter temperatures.

3. Black Friday shopping- Now who doesn't love a good sale? I mean come on, getting things you need and want for less money then you'd normally have to pay? Yeah, that's pretty great. But as the years go on and companies are constantly trying to one up each other they start opening earlier and earlier and now in some places it seems like as soon as the feast is cleared it's time to head out to the mall to stand in line in order to be there early enough to snag what you want. Unless you're me, because I hate shopping, no matter what day of the year it is. But that's why Cyber Monday was invented.

4. Post-Thanksgiving walk- After all that food sometimes it's nice to take a walk. And bonus, you can do this with the family and make it part of your tradition this holiday.

5. Splitting the wishbone- This is a fun one. Two people hold the wishbone, make a wish and then pull until it splits. Whoever ends up with the bigger half is supposed to have their wish come true. Silly? Sure. But still fun.

6. Saying what we're thankful for- It's not often that we take the time to really be thankful for what we have but Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to take a moment and be thankful. In my family, like a lot of families, we all go around and say one thing that we're thankful for. Maybe we should be more focused on what we're thankful for throughout the whole year but at the very least it's great that there's one day out of the year that we can set aside to remember to be thankful.

7. Setting up the Christmas tree. In the United States Thanksgiving is at the end of November so with just about a month to go until Christmas many families take it as their opportunity to kick off the Christmas season. They set up their tree, start playing the music and (if I have my way) finish the night off with a Christmas movie!

8. The feast- Of course a huge part of Thanksgiving is the Thanksgiving feast. Traditionally it's centerpiece is the turkey with all the side dishes of stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and more. And typically there's a lot of pie for dessert. With of course pumpkin pie being the crowning dish of the meal!

9. Serving others- Many people take Thanksgiving as the perfect time to share what they have. Whether it's volunteering at a soup kitchen, passing out coats or socks or finding another way to share what you have with those less fortunate is a great way to remember all that we've been given and to teach our children about giving back and showing the love of God to others.

10. Family- Whether's it's family you were born with or family you chose, big or small this day is a great time to spend with those you love. That's definitely my favorite part about any and every holiday. Including Thanksgiving.

So there it is 10 Thanksgiving traditions that you may know, may do or may want to adopt. What Thanksgiving traditions do you and your family have? I'd love it if you'd share it in the comments!