Our Thanksgiving Tree

Last year, my kids and I started a new family tradition. It's our "Thanksgiving Tree".  My daughter brought home a project from school using a leaf pattern and I thought it would be a great decoration, so I make a pattern of my own. My first thought was to hang them randomly around the kitchen with things that we were thankful for written on each leaf. One of my kids suggested hanging them around our new family photos and then another one said "Hey, lets put a tree trunk on it and make it real tree!" So we did.

This is our tree from last year. We have already begun our tree for this year and I'll try to post a photo of it when we're finished. 

We each write something we are thankful for on a leaf and hang it on the tree. Everyone really enjoyed it. Most of us put up more than one leaf and everyone who came to our house made one as well. It was nice to see what we were all thankful for and it's a great reminder of what Thanksgiving is all about.

I'm sure our tree will be much bigger this year as we will have about 35 people over for dinner. All of whom I am tremendously thankful for. Family and friends, old and new. There are some who can't spend the day with us, but who are just as much a blessing to me... and I am thankful for them as well. I will be sure to put a leaf on the tree for them.

I love traditions. The old ones I can share from my childhood... and the new ones we will make together as a family. What traditions do have?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

...and thanks for reading!

Mary Ann :)