Gifts, Teddies and more

Thanksgiving can be a great time of year. It’s the start of the holiday season, a time for family and close friends to get together to appreciate each other and eat great food. Everyone has a great time enjoying each other’s company. However, if you are the host or hostess for the event, Thanksgiving can be a great deal more stressful. You have a lot more work to do then just showing up ready to socialize. Of course you have to put together the dinner, but besides that you are responsible for cleaning up your home and decorating it appropriately for the season. This can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. I’ll share some tips to create a fun and seasonally appropriate atmosphere in your home, through the use of stuffed animals. Using these plush toys as an extra decorating tip can do a lot for creating the right look for Thanksgiving.

The first thing you should consider is color. Thanksgiving decorating revolves around fall colors. These include browns, oranges, rusty reds, and golden colors. Colors that you can see in all the beautiful fall foliage. First, pick out some animals that are naturally within this color rage, and get a few plush toys of those varieties. Look for things like stuffed foxes, stuffed bunnies, plush chipmunks, stuffed moose, and stuffed squirrels. Before you know it you’ll have the perfect home decorations.

Overall Decorations for the Home

Here are a couple examples for you. You could get a stuffed fox of a rusty-red color and put it on your couch. This will certainly brighten up your room. Or, on the coffee table surrounding the lamp, you could place some fall-appropriate acorns and a plush squirrel or chipmunk. You should use toys that are more natural in color and appearance in order to get the best, most authentic result. You could also create a “salad bowl” to house a stuffed animal filled with leaves and pine cones from the great outdoors, and put this anywhere you need an extra decoration.

Dinner Table Decorations

You probably already have some typical dinner table decorations, such as turkeys and pumpkins. But you can add even more fall cheer by including some stuffed animals with these arrangements. For example, get a little stuffed beaver to hold one or more of the pumpkins. If you are using fall colors for everything to as recommended, then these should complement your dinnerware. You could also create a unique Thanksgiving centerpiece. You could get some nice fall flowers and add a stuffed animal. Also you could get some fall leaf vines, and attach them to some natural-looking brown teddy bears. Then, just wrap them with the vines around your guest chairs for festive holiday seating.

Extra Decorating Tips

Maybe you want to decorate your entrance on the outside so your guests know they have the right house. Just take a run of the mill autumn wreath and pair it with a stuffed bunny, so it looks like the bunny is on a swing. Or have the animal hold a welcome sign. Of course, this animal doesn’t have to be a bunny. It can be a stuffed cat or whatever type of plush toy you think would work best for you and your guests.

Remember, stuffed animals can be used in many ways to make your Thanksgiving truly special. Not only can they be used for decorations, but if you have any children coming for the holiday, they can play with them once dinner is over, and even take them home if you don’t feel like storing them and using them next year in another new arrangement. Be creative, with fall colors and natural appearing plush stuffed toys, and you will have a beautifully decorated home for Thanksgiving.

In the United States, Thanksgiving kicks off the official holiday season. Traditionally, it is celebrated with family. Family members get together and have a meal of traditional Thanksgiving foods. These foods include things such as turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and warm pumpkin pie. Besides all the great food, it is also a time to give thanks for everything good that has happened throughout the year, and gives us a good chance to show appreciation for those who support us.

As you can see, Thanksgiving allows for some wonderful emotional warmth just when the weather is starting to turn cold. Many people get the day off work, and can use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to forget about all your stress and responsibilities. And of course, you can pair that with reconnecting with family and friends who you don’t get to see much.

Obviously, Thanksgiving is a great holiday for us as adults. We can enjoy the food and conversation, but after the meal, children can quickly become bored. The vast majority of schools give their students four or five long vacation days, which gives kids a lot of chances to make mischief! So it is up to you to find things to keep them entertained and out of trouble. You want to still be able to enjoy socializing with family, but still keep an eye on the kids. Here are a couple of fun indoor games then can be played by them.

The Stuffed Animal Playground

The kids can really have a lot of fun if you get a few plush stuffed toys and gather them all together. Plus, this way they’ll all have a toy, and there won’t be any fighting. If you choose a theme with the stuffed animals, you can really let their imaginations run wild. For example, get together all sorts of forest animals, such as stuffed foxes, stuffed bunnies, stuffed raccoons, or even a teddy bear. Then the kids can pretend that they are in the woods as the animals prepare for the winter season. This could even provide entertainment for the adults, as the kids could put together a play for everyone to watch while they are having dessert!

Coloring Books: Holiday or Winter Themes

This is a good suggestion for young children. Get together some coloring books and let them pick out their favorites pictures to draw on. Choosing books with holiday themes will make the kids feel particularly special, with a turkey, a pilgrim, a reindeer, Santa Claus, a Menorah, a snowman, or anything else you can think of. This will allow them plenty of room for creativity. Plus, it has the added bonus of being a quiet activity. You can enjoy dinner without having to keep a stern eye out for trouble, and there are no dangerous objects involved.

Guessing Games

For older children, it often pays to be a bit more organized. Find some simple pictures in a magazine, and cut them out. You can find such things as animals, cars, plants, or clothing. Glue them to a piece of cardboard and put them in a box so that each child can pick one without anyone else seeing it. Then, have the other kids guess what the image is from clues that are given out.

Believe me, a couple games and entertainment will do a lot for keeping your Thanksgiving fun for everyone. Keeping the kids happy will allow you to enjoy dinner and conversation, so try them today!