Hello! Valerie Sjodin here to inspire you about a favorite holiday - Thanksgiving. A holiday gathering like Thanksgiving takes some planning. This year I’m planning in my dotted notebook that can be updated for years to come. I’m keeping it flexible by adding a couple of simple pockets for lists for menu items, Thanksgiving activities to do together, and who to invite to come etc.

Another reason I love the Thanksgiving holiday is that it turns our focus to our blessings, to count them and be grateful.

“For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love of friends,

For everything Your goodness sends.”

    - Ralph Waldo Emerson

SUPPLIES:

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• Dotted notebook of choice (I’m using an A5 size)
• Antique Floral Washi Tape set
• Antique Floral Everyday Theme Kit
• Acrylograph paint pens (3 colors + white)
• Fineliner pen of choice
• Scissors
• Craft knife
• Cutting mat
• Optional: Dotted paper from Notepad used as paper inserts

As a child through young adulthood my grandparents would usually host my favorite holiday - Thanksgiving. My grandmother would fix the main course and everyone would pitch in with side dishes and dessert. The traditional food and table settings were something I looked forward to, as well as gathering around the table. Being the oldest of the grandchildren, I was especially excited when I graduated to the adult table. After dinner my grandfather and mother would take their places at the organ and piano, or sometimes he would play the harmonica, and my aunts would sing in four-part harmony. These are some of my favorite childhood memories.

As an older adult, Thanksgiving has mostly been hosted at our home. Last year though, I found myself in a new home without family close by to come. Some friends had recently moved back in town and invited my husband and I to their Thanksgiving dinner. It was a good opportunity to join in another family’s traditions and be on the receiving end of being blessed by the hospitality of being a part of a family gathering for Thanksgiving.

It helped me appreciate reaching out to invite someone who didn’t have a family to gather with, and affirm how incredibly worthwhile an invitation to gather is.

The Menu

Whether you enjoy cooking a big meal, organize a potluck, or order from a nearby restaurant for your Thanksgiving dinner, planning what you’d like to have is a good idea. I like to give myself as much flexibility as possible, so made a page to list the food I want to serve. There may be a totally different menu or ideas that present themselves. For those I’ve made a pocket with a paper insert to write ideas on. This also allows me to reuse these pages in years to come.

Thanksgiving Activities

When gathering people together, especially if they don’t know each other, it can feel awkward to only have a meal to eat together. I’ve found it helps to have an easy activity or two planned, so I made an ‘Activities’ page and a pocket to write plans and ideas.

At our friends home we went to last Thanksgiving, they facilitated a really fun and easy activity while we were eating the meal. The children passed out pens and paper. Everyone, young and old, wrote down something they were thankful for this past year. When we were done writing, we passed our folded papers to the host who put them in a basket. He then read each one, and we were to guess who wrote it. Once the writer was revealed, they had a chance to share a bit more about it. It was a great way to share what everyone was thankful for and we got to know each other better. I’m definitely going to try this. It was a highlight of the day.

It’s fun to include children, and having a loose plan helps keep them occupied while cooking tasks are being done. Here are a few tips the kids can do to help, keep occupied, and feel a part of the holiday:

Activity Ideas for Children

• Make place cards for each person with their name
• Give them a small task for food prep or presentation
• Make turkey decorations out of colored paper, toilet paper rolls, feathers etc.
• Draw patterns on miniature pumpkins and then arrange them for decoration
• Have a puzzle out on a table where kids and adults can sit and work on it together
• Set out a few games for people to play if they’d like to

Make your own Thanksgiving pages & pockets

Here is a PDF digital download of the title page I made for your personal use. I hope you are inspired.

Video Tutorial

Below is a video tutorial showing the process I went through to make the Thanksgiving pages. The last part of the video shows a speedy process of making the activities pocket page. To see a more detailed and slower version, visit my blogpost on how to make a pocket in your journal 

Connect with me by visiting my blog and website at: https://ValerieSjodin.com

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