Quick & Easy Gratitude Giveaways

1. If you’re going to a family member’s home, why not bring some extra
Left Over Containers to help with after dinner distribution? Your mom would
appreciate help with that, right? So… grab some plastic to-go’s, wrap a
ribbon around it (so it looks pretty, right?!) and there’s a practical gift for
your host. If you REALLY want to out-do yourself, grab some large brown
paper sacks with handles. Create a tag that says, “Gobbles to Go” and tie on
to handle or adhere to the front of the bag. Bring one bag for each family
that is coming to the dinner. The left over containers can go in these bags
making it a CUTE thing, not just plastic to-go leftovers thrown in a grocery
sack! We’re all about cute, huh?! We have the labels and inexpensive kraft
bags ready to buy at our store so you don’t have to do any work at all!

2. Most of us have already started Christmas shopping, but will hopefully
wait until after Thanksgiving to start decorating… so why not bring a gift that
your hostess and her family can use for Christmas? My picks: a Christmas
book that can be enjoyed the whole month of December, a Christmas CD, a
wreath, a candle warmer. The idea here is to bring something that they can
USE & enjoy throughout the Christmas season. Make sure and wrap it up
fancy! A tag could read, “Just a little something special to help you enjoy the
NEXT holiday! Thanks for creating a wonderful Thanksgiving memory.”

3. Want something more simple for a hostess gift? Our favorite: a
package of white chocolate covered pretzels wrapped with elegant ribbon
with some type of “extra” tied on to dress it up. A glittered leaf, an oversized
acorn, or even a Christmas ornament. A hand written note with a simple
‘thank you for having us’ makes it personal.

4. You know how everyone is always hungry just waiting for the big dinner
to be done? Help the hostess out with the stress of people in the kitchen
looking for a snack by bringing some goodies to munch on for everyone. I
like using the following mix because it is salty and sweet. Grab a bag each of
Bugles, Pretzels, candy corn, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows (orange or
chocolate if possible), dried fruit (craisins are yummy) and yogurt covered
nuts/raisins. Mix all together and place in a decorative serving bowl, a large
tin pail, or an apple basket. Wrap up with cellophane and a tag that reads,
“Goodies to Gobble.” To go the extra mile…bring a scoop and some small
cups so everyone’s hands are not dipping into the mix all day! This might
help with the crumbs on the floor as well.

If you’re the Hostess this year… here are a few ideas we’ve put together for
you to make your dinner special!

1. A Box Full of Blessings: (this is my favorite one!!) We’ve taken a small
chocolate brown box (3x3x3 or smaller), filled with small pieces of tan or
cream paper, wrapped some thick ribbon around it, and attached a tag that
reads, “A Box Full of Blessings.” (The paper strips inside the box say, “I am
blessed to know ______ because…”) The idea here is to have a box for each
guest (by their plate OR use this idea for an after dinner activity). Guests will
open their box and use each paper to write down why he/she is thankful for
each one of the other guests. You will then have everyone exchange their
notes so that each guest ends up with multiple notes of why others are
thankful for them personally. What better gift to give to your guests than to
have them go home with a box full of blessings…!?

**Family Blessing Book: another take on this is to buy a nice scrapbook or
journal type book. Take a family picture each Thanksgiving to print out and
paste in. Have each guest sign the book with a note of what they are
thankful for. After a few years you will have a Book of Blessings that will be
irreplaceable!

2. Recipe Cards: This is a practical idea that can be used as a favor of
sorts. Have recipe cards printed (or handwritten) out by each dish on your
Thanksgiving menu. Place them in a small wooden box or crate. Guests can
take home the recipe(s) of their favorite food!

**Another way to do this: If
you have one particular recipe you are proud of or family members have been
asking for… have the recipe cards for just that particular recipe in a basket
for them to take home. You can slip them into cellophane with a ribbon to
keep them protected and to dress them up a bit. Depending upon your
décor, make sure and match your recipe card and colors to the theme of your
dinner. We have a basic vintage looking recipe card on our blog if you would
like to use that one!

3. Gobbles to Go: Create a special bag or box for each family to take
home for their leftovers. Totally not necessary but definitely so darn cute!! A
kraft gable box would be perfect for just a couple of rolls and a bag of
turkey… or a large brown sack with handles would be better to send home a
whole meal! If you like the phrase “gobbles to go” – consider giving each
guest a small bag filled with goodies with that tag attached.

Whether you are hosting or visiting for Thanksgiving, these kid-friendly
activities will help keep those children occupied and having fun instead of
wondering what to do. Bringing one or more of these activities all ready to
go would be a GREAT hostess gift as well – you will be helping the hostess a
ton by keeping the kids out of the kitchen!

1. We have created a Thanksgiving Memory Game. There are 10 matches
(20 cards total) and can be bought at our store for $4.99. Examples of
pictures used: acorns, pilgrim hats, candy corn, pumpkin pie, etc. Making
your own is a piece of cake as well! My kids (age 5 and 3) LOVE playing this
over and over and over!!

2. Pin the Feather on the Turkey: Kids and adults alike could play this.
Grab your blindfold and get ready to dizzy-up your guests! Available in our
store as well.

3. Soda Can Turkey: You might have seen something similar to this
before, but if not – it’s a favorite craft to make with kids. We have a one
page printout that has all you need to make a turkey out of a mini soda pop
can. Supplies needed: mini pop can & double stick tape. In our store, we
have a package ready to make 5 soda pop turkeys for $5.00. Just pick up
your soda and you’ll be ready to make turkeys!! (you could also make these
ahead of time with name cards on them for place cards). If you have a
silhouette machine, this job could be cake for you!