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Fun New Thanksgiving Traditions for your Family

Every family has their own Thanksgiving traditions but it’s always fun to start some new traditions as well. Incorporating different things into your holiday celebration is a great idea if you’re having your first Thanksgiving in a new house, inviting a bunch of guests over, or are just looking for a way to keep your regular customs from getting old. Below are some fun Thanksgiving ideas to try this year!

Food
Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry are the Thanksgiving usuals, but there are plenty of other food items that are on the menu in some kitchens on Thanksgiving.

• Pigs in a blanket
These quick and easy appetizers are a great way to keep guests fed before the big meal. People can get cranky when they have to wait to eat, so in order to avoid bad moods make sure guests aren’t famished while waiting for the big meal. Put them on a decorative serving platter for a festive feel!

• Grilled Turkey
Some cooks choose to grill their turkey for a smoky delicious flavor. Grilling the turkey is a new spin on an old favorite, and a very practical way to free up more oven space for other items that need to cook.

• Olives
For whatever reason, olives seem to be a popular favorite to snack on before the main meal, or even during the big meal. Kids love the big black olives that they can pop on their fingers and bite off. A small glass serving bowl is a good way to jazz up ordinary and inexpensive olives.

• Sauerkraut
A Maryland favorite, Sauerkraut actually compliments the regular Thanksgiving fixings nicely (and even tastes good with some gravy on top). This is also a good option for people who don’t like the typical Thanksgiving vegetables of green beans, peas, carrots, etc.
• Forget the Turkey Altogether
While most people cook a turkey, ham is also very popular for Thanksgiving. Other people opt for fried chicken, ribs, or even bratwust. Some vegetarians and pasta-fanatics even enjoy a delicious home-made lasagna instead of the traditional bird.

Crafts
Arts and crafts are a good way to keep the kids occupied while the grown-ups cook and chat. Crafts also make memories for later on in life.

• Make a Scrap Book
If you have kids a great idea is to make a Thanksgiving scrap book – with a new page for each year. Have kids make drawings and write messages to remember the holiday when they are older. Or, if you want to take it a step further, get a recordable scrap book and have the kids record a holiday message each year.

• Thank You Table Cloth
A really adorable idea is to buy a cheap table cloth each year and give kids fabric markers to write what they are thankful for on the cloth. Then use the table cloth to set the table so that all of the guests can read it.

• Make a Gift for the Host or Hostess
A good way to express gratitude after having a delicious Thanksgiving meal is to give the cook a special gift. Having kids make a gift for the hostess is a sweet way of saying thank you, and will give them something to do together.

• Make a Thankful Tree
Have each guest write what they are thankful for on a slip of paper and hang it on a tree. The tree can be a real tree outside, or a re-purposed card tree on a coffee table or desk.

• Use Leaves to make Name Cards
If there are leaves on the ground have kids collect some leaves and write everyone’s name on a leaf to serve as a name card. Put leaves on rustic placemats to let guests know where you want them to sit.

Get Active
For most people Thanksgiving is all about eating to excess, but if you are trying to be healthy there are plenty of ways to celebrate without gorging yourself.

• Turkey Trot
Many communities have a race on Thanksgiving day, but if your city or town doesn’t have one you can make your own turkey trot by inviting friends or family members for a run. Kick it up a notch by turning it into a competition and awarding a prize for the first place finisher.

• Play a Game of Football
Football is a Thanksgiving tradition, but most people watch football from the couch instead of getting out there and playing. For a more active holiday tradition get out there and play a little touch football.

Give Back
• Invite Someone Who’s Alone
The holidays can be a really hard time if you are by yourself, so this holiday season if you have the space and the food consider inviting someone who doesn’t have anyone to share the holidays with them.

• Bring left overs to the needy
Holiday leftovers are delicious, but the satisfaction of helping the less fortunate is even better than the taste of eating holiday extras. Bring leftovers to the homeless or volunteer at a soup kitchen to give back to people in your community who have less than you do.

Top Ten Scary Halloween Movies

In the early autumn season, everybody wants to be thrilled and spooked by a film for Halloween. These films will leave you thinking about the scares long after they are over. Here are our top ten scary movies.

1. The Shining (1980)
This film, adapted from a Stephen King novel, follows the story of a family after they move into an empty Colorado hotel during the off-season to take care of it. This film offers a rare glimpse into madness.

2. The Exorcist (1973)
Often cited as one of the scariest films of all time, The Exorcist offers a number of blatant and subtle scares. When it was released, this film was extremely controversial because it featured Satan possessing the body of a pre-teen girl.

3. Psycho (1960)
The story of the Bates Motel is frightful enough to appeal to generations of horror fans. This Hitchcock classic features a twist ending that even modern audience members will not see coming.

4. Nosferatu (1922)
This movie is a true classic, one of the first horror films of all time. It focuses on the creepiness of a vampire who stalks the residents of Bremen.

5. Scream (1996)
The original Scream film that launched a franchise was met with fan acclaim, especially for its opening scene. A film that kills off its most famous actress within the first 10 minutes has guts, literally.

6. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
It is scary enough to think that somebody is out to get you when you are awake, but this movie features an inescapable slasher: the infamous Freddy Kreuger, a villain who enters the dreams of sleeping teenagers.

7. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
This George Romero classic is one of the first zombie films to make a splash in the industry. The characters in this film are in a fight for their lives.

8. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
This horror film masquerading as a documentary fooled many naïve audience members when it came out. It documents a camping trip gone awry.

9. The Strangers (2008)
This film is scary based on just one concept: the reason a couple is tortured for hours is simply because they happened to be home.

10. Halloween (1978)
The ultimate Halloween movie follows a teenage girl and her babysitting changes as they escape from a masked madman with a thirst for blood.

If you are looking for a kid friendly movie, there are plenty of choices to choose from.  Some of our favorites include Hocus Pocus, Casper and The Nightmare Before Christmas. As you look for the perfect Halloween film to watch alone or at your holiday party, keep these movies in mind. Find all the fun Halloween decorations and collectibles you need for your Halloween celebrations like Halloween bowls for popcorn, pumpkin wine glasses and other decorations.

Tips & Treats: How to Stay Safe Halloween

Trick or Treat! Whether mumbled by a tiny ghost from behind a parent’s leg or yelled at the top of an excited pirate’s lungs, it can mean only one thing. Halloween is here. The ghosts and goblins are walking the streets and demanding candy. Here are some tips on what to do and not to do to keep your little monsters safe this Halloween.

• Candy Check - Most parents’ number one worry is that their child will be harmed by some psychopath putting razor blades in apples or cyanide in candy and handing it out to trick-or-treaters. While checking your child’s candy and discarding unwrapped items is a good idea, it’s not necessary to have your child’s haul x-rayed before allowing them to sample it. While these stories rise up like undead zombies every year, this should not be your greatest concern Halloween night.

• Running around the streets can be very dangerous for children.  Automobile accidents are the leading cause of death in young people. When you are on your way out to go trick or treating, take sure your child is in an age-appropriate restraint, and make sure they are buckled in.

• The other automobile danger comes from all the cars driving kids around on Halloween night. Children can dart in between cars with no thought to safety. Make sure your kids can be seen. Reflective tape can be added to costumes. Glow in the dark paint can be used as well. Glowing fairy wings or skeleton bones really add to a costume. Watch out for kids jumping in front of your car. They may not have put on the paint or reflective tape.

• Stay in well-lit areas and go to well-lit houses. The porch or front light on is the universal sign that a house is open for trick-or-treat business. If the front light is turned off, then skip the house.

•Have a plan. Go to neighborhoods with plenty of lighting and children.  If there are more children, there is less chance of having any problems and drivers will be paying more attention. Also, any mischievous children will be discouraged by large groups of people. Check out local businesses and civic organizations for places to trick or treat. There are haunted libraries and big box stores that hand out candy on Halloween.

We hope you gave a blast trick or treating this year.  Check out our Halloween products at our store including trick or treating bags, candy bowls and other Halloween decorations.