Add Something New This Thanksgiving

Have you ever done a progressive dinner at Thanksgiving? This may be the year to start!

Thanksgiving is wonderful--I think we can all agree on that. An old friend used to say she loved Thanksgiving more than Christmas as it was a great time to be with family centered around an awesome meal. No holiday shopping, no decorating the house, no fighting crowds and traffic in the malls and on the street. No, just that wonderful family time with good food and the counting of our blessings.

But sometimes it can be a bit much for one person to do. And while I know that most families have everyone bring something to the meal, a lot of the preparation falls on one person. How about shaking things up a bit and spreading out the hosting duties?

Progressive dinners~

If you have family and friends in town that you always spend time with on this day, how about approaching them with this idea?

My niece here in town is fortunate enough to have all her grown children here. And she has a long-time friend that she always spends the holiday with. They got together and decided to have a progressive dinner. She reports that one daughter  hosted the appetizer part of the feast, her other daughter had everyone over for salad in a jar, Tracy hosted the main event (the turkey of course!) and her friend Stacy had everyone over for dessert. 

Yes, this eases the host's work for the day, but it's also just plain FUN! How wonderful to open your home to friends and family for part of this meal. Share the JOY! And what a wonderful experience for our children and grandchildren.

But wait! There's more!!

My niece has quite the extended family. Grandparents, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts and uncles from across the US. They arrive to Texas from Minnesota and California and places in between. How to get those people from one house to the next? Well, a hay ride of course!! Now that's a memory few grandkids could forget.

Travel from one part of the dinner to the next? A hay ride of course!

Now I agree, this is possible because they all live in close proximity to each other. And it did address the need for getting all their out-of-town guests from one house to the next. But what grand fun and what a memory!

If you decide to do this, check your local municipality for laws, ordinances and required permits. You could share the trailer rental with all involved. Tracy reports that as far as the hay, if you return it still in the bale and clean, you get your money back.

The FEAST!

When I decided to showcase this idea in my blog, I asked my niece for photos. She sent tons of photos, but alas, no pictures of the set-up for the feast itself. We are fortunate to live in Houston where November weather is mild and perfect for outdoor eating. I managed to find a picture in my files of another Thanksgiving meal at Tracy's house. So here ya go. . . 

Final thoughts on adding a new tradition~

​I certainly don't have the ways and means to do such a Thanksgiving extravaganza. These two ladies, my niece and her best friend, have great decorating and party ideas. People come to them for their fabulous ideas, and we all consider them great party-planners. You can see by the above set table that it is an occasion to behold.

But it might be fun to add some aspect of this family feast to your Thanksgiving traditions. Perhaps the progressive dinner idea. That could be really fun. Or a hayride in the country at the end of the day at a local farm would be a treat for the kids. I share ideas simply to spur us all on to try new things or add a new tradition. And that's what my blog is all about--ideas for things that grandparents can do with grandchildren throughout the seasons of the year. And the Thanksgiving season is one of the best.