Did you take lots of pictures for thanksgiving? Don't throw them in a box! Why don't you start scrapbooking them?
Here are a few ideas for you:
Create a gratitude journal
Here are 11 topics for gratitude journals that will keep your heart singing.
1. Things that make me laugh
2. Prayers of thanks
3. What I love about myself
4. Opportunities I'm thankful for
5. People who've changed my life
6. Life-changing experiences
7. The job I love best
8. Relationships that make a difference
9. Life's lessons
10. What makes my house a home
11. My defining moments
Here's another approach, have each of your guests or family member tell you or write on a small index card what they are thankful for this year. I have been keeping a tiny little book each year, it's great to see what the kids can come up with and see where their focus is.You can make a simple paper bag album or use a small notebook, leaving a page for each person.
Have each member of the family make their own Thanksgiving scrapbook page, and then put all the pages together in a family scrapbook that you can look at for years to come.This is a great way to help teach your children the habit of being thankful for what they have.
Another idea is to create a recipe album, what a great gift to pass on to your children, a copy of all your traditional thanksgiving recipes and maybe a picture to go along. You can create a recipe memoir, which tells the history of your family’s thanksgiving in the form of recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation.
Decide on a format for your scrapbooking ideas for Thanksgiving. One effective scrapbooking idea for Thanksgiving is to organize the material as if it were a cookbook to be passed down to future generations. You are creating a family heirloom just as priceless as any other, and maybe even more so because of the specific effort involved. If you wish to use a cookbook format as your scrapbooking idea for Thanksgiving, consider dividing the book into different sections just like you would find in a real cookbook; one for appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc. Instead of an appendix, list the names of those whose recipes you have included.
Have a family member or friend take pictures of you making the Thanksgiving meal, then you can journal about it and add this along with the pictures to a scrapbook page that is all about making the meal.
Make a scrapbook page for your child dressed up for Thanksgiving or on stage at their school's production. Many elementary schools have children dress up as pilgrims and Native Americans. This can be a great way to preserve these memories. Go one step further and create a book, with pages from each program, adding to it each year.
Recipes aren't likely your only family traditions, do you say a certain prayer every year? make a layout about it, how about after dinner, do you go to a movie every year? The men in my family always broke out the cards and played a friendly game of poker. As a little girl, I always acted as their waitress and served their soda or beer. I wish I had pictures of these things, but even without the pics, I can still scrapbook about them! I can find internet pictures of poker chips or turkeys or anything that sparks the memories of my childhood thanksgivings! What do you remember, is there a certain scent or food or anything that remind you? Scrapbook about it, journal it.
Why not start an annual book, with one page of menu's and guest list from each year.
Here are a few other ideas for page layouts:
Don't forget that family photo, how often do you get so many generations in one spot?
Have a funy turkey-day story? I made a page to pass down the story about my mom's first turkey, when she left the bag of innards inside and cooked it... What is your funny family story.
Don't forget to scrapbook about the rest of the day, do you go to a parade every year? Watch the football game, go to a movie? Don't leave it out, scrap it for your kids to carry on the tradition and their kids and theirs!
