The Thanksgiving season can be confusing and stressful as a young adult trying to figure out how to do it all. What family traditions do you continue? What traditions do you want to start now that you’re an adult? How do you balance new ideas and still have time for everything else? It can be a hard and uncomfortable process. 

While I can’t tell you how to solve these issues, I know that sometimes the holidays lose a little bit of their magic if you feel like you’re missing out on traditions you had before. Or maybe you came from a family that didn’t really have many traditions, and now you want to start some of your own to reclaim that holiday magic. Whatever the case, here are some Thanksgiving traditions you can start this year to make the holidays magical.

Host ‘Friendsgiving’

Friendsgiving is just what it sounds like – a time to gather with your friends to celebrate and practice gratitude. This can look like your classic Thanksgiving meal, or you can give it a twist! Make it potluck style, “comfort food only,” or even order takeout to make it a low-stress event! 

Plan it around everyone’s schedule; it can be before or after Thanksgiving. I remember all the Friendsgivings in college when my friends and I ate on the floor with our rotisserie chickens and sides made in the microwave – it wasn’t glamorous, but those are the memories I will cherish forever. Let this be your reminder that hosting doesn’t have to be extravagant; it’s about the people you’re surrounded by. 

Claim a signature dish or drink

Make a dish that is “yours” and bring it year after year. In my family, my grandma always made the mac and cheese, my grandpa made the turkey, my mom made the mashed potatoes, and one of my aunts always brought the pickle tray (yes, we have a tray of pickles as one of our appetizers), amongst many other people with their signature dishes. 

Become “known” for your dish or drink. Maybe you claim the rolls but make them handmade. Or maybe you batch make a festive fall cocktail for everyone 21+ to enjoy. Once people know you for that dish, they’ll look forward to it every year.

Start your morning with intention

Before the rush of cooking, cleaning, or traveling, carve out some quiet time. Spend the morning doing something that grounds you and brings you joy – whether that’s a prayer of thanks with Scripture reading, running a Turkey Trot, sipping coffee while watching the parade, or spending a few minutes journaling what you’re thankful for. Beginning your day with intention makes the rest of the holiday feel so much more meaningful.

While I originally came from a family that ran or walked a 10k every Thanksgiving morning, now that I’m married and beginning my own family, we plan to attend Mass, make special coffees, and watch the Thanksgiving Day parade. Remember, what you do as an adult doesn’t have to look like what you did as a child – but it can if that’s what brings you joy!

Volunteer or give back

Thanksgiving is about gratitude, but it’s also about generosity. Start a tradition of volunteering with friends or family. This can look like serving meals, delivering food boxes, or helping at a shelter. If volunteering on the day itself isn’t realistic for you, choose another way to give back. Donate coats, pantry items, or consider “adopting a family” and bring them a Thanksgiving meal. These traditions often end up being more meaningful than anything else.

Commemorate the moment

So much happens in a year, do something to remember each year. Whether that’s taking a picture in the same spot every year, everyone writing down a memory and putting it in a jar to be read again next year, or even just intentionally sharing stories. Take time to reflect on the year gone by. 

Play a game

Some of my favorite memories and my family’s inside jokes have come from games played after holiday meals. We’ve played Family Feud, euchre, poker, charades, blind pictionary – the list goes on. What’s important is gathering the people who mean the most and having fun. In an age addicted to technology, we forget how to have fun together. Make this a tradition at your next Thanksgiving gathering. 

Traditions don’t have to be elaborate to matter. They’re simply rituals that happen year after year that bring connection, joy, and magic to the holiday season. Whether you start a tradition this year and it sticks or it takes some trial and error to find traditions that are right for you, the point is to find traditions that make the holidays magical in this stage of life.