Table of contents

• Introduction
• Thanksgiving Party Invitations
• Thanksgiving Bracelet/Necklace Invitation
• Thanksgiving Postcard
• Thanksgiving Cornucopia
• Thanksgiving Party Dress Code
• Thanksgiving Party Decorations
• Thanksgiving Party Guest Arrival & Announcement
• Thanksgiving Party Favors
• Thanksgiving Party Activities
• Towel Jump
• Thanksgiving Acronyms
• Pass The Hat
• Fashion Show
• Food & Drink

Introduction

Thanksgiving - a time not only to say thanks for all that we have, but also a time to celebrate the safe arrival and the survival of our European ancestors on the American continent. And what better way to add some flair to the occasion than by having a thanksgiving party? Below you will find a couple of useful tips and some information that you can use to organize the successful event. But before we get to that, just a little more on the history of thanksgiving.

Over the course of history there have been quite a number of noteworthy thanksgiving celebrations. While some of these celebrate a safe arrival after a long and dangerous journey, others tend to celebrate a good harvest. Perhaps the most prominent belonging to the former category of safe arrival, is the very first thanksgiving feast held on American soil by European settlers. This occurred on the 8^th of September in 1565 when 600 Spanish settlers under the leadership of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés landed at what we know today as St. Augustine in Florida. Over the next couple of years other groups would set foot on American soil and, independent of any other group, have a feast to celebrate their safe arrival.

As mentioned however, thanksgiving is traditionally also a harvest feast. One of the most significant historical events to support this fact is that of the arrival of a group of pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Not knowing the soil and the climate of the place, the pilgrims would have faced starvation if it wasn't for the help of one man, Squanto - a Native American of Patuxet origins that lived with the Wampanoag tribe at that time. Aside from doing some essential translation work for the pilgrims, he also helped them grow corn and catch eel to prepare for the coming winter. Their thanksgiving feast was held in 1621, after their first harvest.

Only a few years on thanksgiving became a celebration held by many individual groups, but still not on a national level. George Washington was the first president to call for a national thanksgiving feast to be held, but only as a once-off event. This day was proclaimed to be the 26^th of November, 1789. Subsequent celebrations of thanksgiving day were isolated until the year 1863 when Abraham Lincoln declared thanksgiving on the final Thursday of November that year. Since then, it has become an annual American day for celebration and giving thanks.

On a final note, it needs to be said that there was a period where the date of thanksgiving was moved to either the second-to-last or last Thursday of November. But in 1941 the U.S. Congress decided that thanksgiving should be held on the 4^th Thursday of every November.

And having said that, it's time for us to get on with the organization of a thanksgiving party!

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Thanksgiving Party Invitations

In line with the theme of thanks giving, which is to give thanks for all that we have, it would be apt to create a matching invitation. And although there are any number of Thanksgiving invitations available in stores everywhere, nothing will convey the sentiment better than those you make yourself.

Below we’ve listed a couple of novel ideas for Thanksgiving invitations, all of which should at least include the following details:

• Party Name: Give your party a name in line with the theme so that your guests will know what it is when they receive the invitation. An example for Thanksgiving would be “Paul & Esther’s Thanksgiving Feast”

• Salutation: An Example here would be “Dear Mr. & Mrs. O’Connell”.

• Date & Time

• Venue/Location

• Dress Code

• Contact Details

• Additional information…
  

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Thanksgiving Bracelet/Necklace Invitation

Thank your friends for their good company and support by supplying them with an invitation that doubles as a gift.

To start off, you will need to get your hands on a bracelet or necklace for each of your friends. These can be bought an appropriate retailer in your area or from the internet. In addition to the necklace or bracelet, you will have to make r buy a paper-based invitation to go along with each necklace or bracelet. These will typically contain all the necessary party details to ensure that your friends are fully informed.

Combine the card and the necklace or bracelet and get ready to deliver!

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Thanksgiving Postcard

Make an invitation postcard to be sent to your friends, thanksgiving style! For this you only need a computer connected to the internet and loaded with the appropriate software (such as image editing suites and word processors). In addition, you will need a couple of blank postcards and of course a printer capable of printing on postcards. If you don't have one, then be sure to get in touch with your local printing store and make use of their services.

Now, as you can imagine, you will have to design a suitable image for the front of your postcard. This can be virtually anything, but will have to keep in line with the Thanksgiving theme. Once this has been done, you will have to tend to the back of the postcard - where the text will come. Now you will have to list the details of your party here but if you can manage the space, then a short personal message too.

When that's done and your design looks good on screen, then it's time to have it printed. Do note that it will be best to print a sample first to ensure that it looks as you intended it too. If it does, then print away, apply your stamps and get ready to deliver!

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Thanksgiving Cornucopia

Legend has it that Zeus was raised by a goat, Amalthea. While playing one day, Zeus accidentally broke off one of her horns and she transformed into a unicorn. As an act of remorse, Zeus gave Amalthea back the horn which by then had supernatural powers: it would give the person who possessed it anything he or she wished for. As such the legend of the cornucopia was born.

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than by giving? This invitation idea will require you to make an adequate paper-based invitation and get your hands on a horn-shaped wicker. Should you have difficulty in finding a horn-shaped wicker, any other type will do. In addition, you’ll also want to go shopping for foods to place inside the wicker – remember that some of the traditional symbols of Thanksgiving include pumpkins, corn, cranberries and turkey, though savory foods are always enjoyed by everyone too.

Once you have all the ingredients, simply fill your cornucopia with the food you have bought and attach the invitation.

This will ensure that the invitees remember you for the days, weeks, months and years to come.

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Thanksgiving Party Dress Code

Thanksgiving is traditionally a formal event, with religious undertones in certain circles. As such, it would only be fitting for your guests to dress semi-formal or even in their Sunday best. The choice, however, remains with you.

Thanksgiving Party Decorations

Thanksgiving party decorations are easy to find and to make yourself. The most important thing to keep in mind is that your decorations should keep with the theme and the symbols of thanksgiving which include pumpkins, beans, cornucopias, turkeys and cranberries.

• Balloons (red. brown, green, white, blue)

• Streamers (same as above)

• Ornamental cornucopias

• Ornamental pumpkins

• Banners

• Flags

• Good music
  

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Thanksgiving Party Guest Arrival & Announcement

There’s no formal or typical introductions associated with Thanksgiving, which means you will have to get creative. An idea would be to have a bowl of colored candies ready at the front door. As each guest arrives, they’ll have to guess how many of a specific color there are. The person who guesses the closest, wins!

Thanksgiving Party Favors

Party favors are those items you use to thank your guests for coming, but also to ensure that they remember your party for days, weeks, months and possibly years to come. Below you will find a couple of our ideas, all of which you will be able to find at the appropriate retailer in your area or on the internet.

• Key rings

• Calendars (suitable to their kitchen perhaps?)

• Mugs

• T-shirts

• Games

• Stationary

• Posters
  

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Thanksgiving Party Activities

Towel Jump

To play this game you'll simply need five towels and a bit of space.

The game is started by laying out the towels (in full length but minimal width) about a foot away from each other with the last towel placed two feet away from the second-to-last one. When done they should resemble long worms stretched out on the ground.

The rules of the games are as such: each participant gets the chance to do one length. This is done by running over the towels and taking care not to step on any of them. When all the participants have run the initial length, the towels have to be moved apart another foot and everyone gets another go.

The trick of the game is to only have one foot between any two towels at all times. If more than one foot touches the ground between any two towels, that person is out. Should a towel be stepped on, that person is out as well.

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Thanksgiving Acronyms

The game starts off with each one of the guests thinking up a four letter word. Once each guest has one, simply write it down on a piece of paper and put it in a hat or a bowl.

The purpose of this game is to assume that each word is an acronym. As such, one person should draw a word from the hat or the bowl and state the first noun that pops into his or her head that begins with the same letter as the acronym. The next person in a clockwise direction should provide a verb beginning with the same letter as the second letter of the acronym. The third person should supply an adjective or adverb beginning with the same letter as the third letter of the adjective and the fourth person a noun beginning with the same letter as the fourth one of the acronym.

Remember, it’s important to state the first applicable word that comes to mind.

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Pass The Hat

To play this game you will simply need a hat. Once you have the hat, you and your friends will have to sit in a circle and pass the hat from one person to the next. But wait, that's not all! You're not allowed to use your hands, which could complicate things.

Start the game going from left to right and check that your friends don't try and take the easy way. If they do, then they are out for this round. In addition, should the hat drop to the floor, then it must again be picked up without using your hands.

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Fashion Show

For this activity you and your friends will need a couple of newspapers and/or magazines. In addition, some duct tape and some wire could come in useful (as well as something to cut the wire with).

Before there can be a fashion show, you need some fashion. As such, all participants have to be split into a couple of groups. These groups then have to make a number of outfits using only the materials mentioned. This can be achieved by using the wire to make a frame for a dress or a hat and then using the duct tape to stick the paper to the frame.

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Food & Drink

Foods for thanksgiving traditionally include the following:

• Pumpkins

• Cranberries

• Turkey

• Corn on the cob.
  

However, since these hardly qualify as snack or foods that most teenagers would share at a party, it would probably be better to invest in foods that both you and your friends love. Here’s a list of possible snacks/foods:

• Sandwiches

• Fajitas

• Tacos

• Hot dogs

• Chicken wings

• Crackers

• Salads.

• Hamburgers

• Pizzas

• Pies

• Roast Beef

• Pasta

Drinks include non-alcoholic cocktails, lemonade, milkshakes, sodas, fruit juices, etc.

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