After years of staying at home and not seeing your loved ones because of the pandemic, you'll finally get to celebrate Thanksgiving with everyone else again. The turkey is in the oven, the decorations are already set on the table, and you're just waiting for everyone else to arrive. You're pretty excited, aren't you? Well, why not increase your excitement by planning something new? Apart from the usual
turkey feast and sharing what you're thankful for, start new thanksgiving traditions this 2022. They can be as fun as making it a game night or as heartwarming as setting up a gratitude jar! You can get as creative as you want!
Virtual Thanksgiving Feast with Family
Although the world has slowly gone back to normal after the Covid-19 pandemic, things aren't as free as they seem. Even here in the US, where many places now allow people to go out without wearing face masks, Covid still runs rampant. As such, the entire family still can't share the table together on Thanksgiving day. So the next best thing is to hold a virtual Thanksgiving dinner instead. Through either Zoom or Skype, you can eat with your loved ones who aren't physically there with you to celebrate this
American holiday in person. Such is the beauty of technology today!
Serve Foreign Cuisines
You can practically consider Thanksgiving food as American food, right? From the roast turkey and the stuffing to the yams and cranberry sauce, these are all dinner table staples in the US. But if Thanksgiving 2022 is going to be the start of new traditions, you need to upgrade your holiday menu. Perhaps serve some foreign cuisines too? Instead of turkey, why not serve roast duck a'la Chinese? And instead of yams, why not prepare some Hummus with pita bread just like those in the Middle East? The US is a hotpot of different cultures, after all. It's not that far-fetched to serve foreign dishes during a traditional holiday.
Host A Cocktail Party
Instead of focusing on the dishes, why not put all your effort into the drinks this Thanksgiving 2022 instead? If there's no one in your holiday guestlist under 21 years old, what's stopping you from turning your annual dinner into a cocktail party? For one thing, it relieves much of the stress of serving a big feast. You can spend most of your time mixing all sorts of
Thanksgiving cocktails while preparing small, bite-sized, but equally scrumptious finger food. You can even make it a chic affair by insisting on a sophisticated dress code. Now that'd be a fun new holiday tradition!
Make It a Game Night
Not into drinks, are you? Well, instead of hosting a cocktail party for Thanksgiving, why not turn it into a game night? The holiday doesn't have to be defined by serving food and drinks. As great of a tradition as that was, if you're up for something new, then you have to let go of the usual stuff. So instead of preparing what to serve, focus on the games you want to play. Be they board games, video games, or parlor games, it's all about having fun with your loved ones. That's part of what Thanksgiving is all about, right? As for the food, some chips and dip as well as other snacks are perfect for this occasion!
Set Up a Gratitude Jar
You can also make a game out of the very essence of Thanksgiving too. Introducing the '
Gratitude Jar'! Throughout the year, you can write bits and pieces of what you're thankful for, especially when it comes to the people in your life, and put them in the jar. They can be as simple as the change your family lent you at one time or as profound as your friend helping you get over a breakup. And when the holiday comes, gather everyone around the table and read everything aloud. Now, doesn't that sound like a heartwarming tradition to start this Thanksgiving 2022?
Exchange Gifts
What's another great way to show how thankful you are to your loved ones? Giving them gifts, of course! Though this is more of a
Christmas tradition, who says you can't do it during Thanksgiving as well? After all, a present is another great expression of gratitude as well. And to make things easier, set up an exchange gift system too! Prior to the holiday, put the names of the guests in a jar and let them pick out one. Then you have to give a gift to the person whose name you picked out from the jar. Pretty simple, right?
Do Some Charity Work
As cheesy as it sounds, giving back is also a great way to express gratitude this Thanksgiving 2022. After what the world went through with the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically when it comes to people's livelihood, the fact that you still have a roof over your head, food on the table, and you can still earn a living is something to be thankful for. But for those who don't have those things, you can always do charity work during this holiday too. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, for instance, and feed those who are less fortunate than you. The turkey dinner can wait until after you're done!
Watch Movies
And finally, for one final new tradition this Thanksgiving 2022, end the holiday with a movie night. Snuggle up to your loved ones after your feast and watch a
Thanksgiving movie. These aren't movies about or set during Thanksgiving, per se, but rather light-hearted flicks that will make you feel all warm inside. Whether they're family-friendly movies or hilarious rom-coms, it's all about spending quality time with each other. Heck, if you guys prefer, you can even watch a horror flick too! Perhaps ones that you weren't able to watch last Halloween? As long as you have fun, that's not such a bad idea!
Thanksgiving 2022 is just around the corner and since the world has changed over the past few years, so should your traditions. Get creative and incorporate new and exciting things into your holiday celebrations this year!
