Thanksgiving seems to arrive at lightning speed after Halloween. No sooner has the last trick or treater left your door and you are making Thanksgiving dinner plans. When our children were young, Thanksgiving was a very "Norman Rockwellesque" holiday for us. The whole family gathered at Grandma and Grandpa's and the meal preparation started days in advance and lasted all day long. The television was on from the start of the Macy's parade through the final tackle of the NFL game. The kids would be running around inside and out and all the while.. the kitchen was humming with activity. It truly was the most picturesque of Thanksgiving memories.

I sadly had to say good-bye to that picture perfect memory when our boys began playing high school football back in 1995. In our town, the tradition of Thanksgiving Day high school football had been entrenched for decades. The game was a huge cross-town rivalry, a great gathering spot for alumni and a change of tradition for our family. I began to host the family Thanksgiving from that year forward. Sadly, I am no Rachel Ray, my cooking heroine. She makes everything look simple, easy and delicious but I cannot replicate that talent. Nor can I cook for days in advance. I was working during the day, then jumping into my Superwoman persona at night. From September through the holidays was a busy time of year with the four kids and their extracurricular activities. It seemed every night held a new volunteer effort from organizing football team booster club dinners, to scout activities, PTA meetings, plus grocery shopping, laundry and who only knows what else.  Even armed with great recipes, which I had intently planned to make in advance of the family arrival, my Thanksgiving menu always ended up the same. Turkey, Instant Mashed Potatoes, Stove Top Stuffing, Ready to heat gravy, Pillsbury crescent rolls and of course, the green bean casserole. Yikes.. could it get any less gourmet? Thankfully the family all brought desserts and appetizers!

Why you may wonder did everyone continue to make the trek for Thanksgiving year after year? I can certainly tell you it was not for the food. As a "Type A" personality, I figured out early that I must overcompensate for my poor cuisine skills. I turned the focus of Thanksgiving dinner from Food to Fun. I knew after the first year, that it was a smart move. No one even cared about what they ate, as we had way too much fun with dinner table favors and games, followed by after dinner entertainment.

To start with, I always find a way to make sure we all eat together. Even if it means squeezing chairs, adding card tables or going to the extreme of moving furniture from the dining room into the living room. Next, I make table favors for everyone that also serves as place cards. It could be as simple as a Holiday CD with a personalized CD cover to a photo mug. After that, I plan a game that all can play while we are eating. While Turkey Trivia is always fun, "Turkey Tunes" is another favorite. Like "Millionaire", they can use family lifelines if they need help and of course, there are prizes for one and all. It is great fun and keeps everyone engaged and talking and laughing.

The final recipe for Thanksgiving fun... I plan after dinner entertainment. There is nothing worse than the lull after a big dinner. We pull out the desserts, have the coffee ready to go and lastly, announce the evening's activity. It is so much more fun than having everyone head off to his or her chair for a nap! The activities have ranged from "Gobble, Gobble Bingo" to our favorite family auction game that helps us to kick off the holiday shopping season, "Hold or Swap". Turkey "Hold Em", a holiday version of the poker game "Texas Hold 'Em" was great fun one year. Ask any of our family about Thanksgiving and they will never talk about the turkey but laugh as they recall their favorite Thanksgiving game. It is a tradition that has spanned a decade and made us all thankful each Thanksgiving for the fun we have together as a family. I have shared many of these game, favor and activity ideas at   rel=nofollow [http://www.celebrationideasonline.com/fun-thanksgiving-ideas.html]Celebration Ideas Online.  Feel free to use them to create your own family Thanksgiving Fun and traditions that will make great memories. If you are really blessed, you will be able to hit the Trifecta by creating Great Memories, Great Food and Great Fun!

Carol is married with four grown children who loves to celebrate everything! Their family celebration experiences and traditions can be further viewed at http://www.celebrationideasonline.com - There are some great ideas for creating lasting family memories!

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