Every family has a collection of precious Thanksgiving traditions all their own.
In some families, that might mean always letting grandma carve the turkey; in others, it might mean keeping a place open at the table for a beloved someone who has passed on.
And — just as your Thanksgiving plate might show off your real personality — these traditions really do reveal a lot about the collective dynamic of the family.
After all, every family has its own unique story, and there's always something special about celebrating that!
That's part of the reason that we're such big fans of Thanksgiving traditions that carry down through the generations and inspire devoted family followings.
We're particularly taken with an adorable part of one family's annual Turkey Day celebration: scribbling all over the table!
It might sound like bad behavior, but at some family dinners, writing on the table is actually encouraged. Scroll through below to learn why.
One family recently shared a beautiful Thanksgiving tradition to the Love What Matters Facebook page, and it's giving us all sorts of bright ideas for our own holiday tables!
Instead of setting a super-fancy table full of delicate crystal and china, this family decided to take things in the opposite direction and encourage everyone to write on the tablecloth.
Apparently their creative idea got a lot of folks thinking, because it got 56,000 reactions on Facebook and was shared nearly 25,000 times.
The caption that goes along with the post reads as follows:
“We started this tablecloth in 2000. It has the names of everyone we've shared Thanksgiving with each year.
“Each year is a different color. I am so grateful to have the signatures of those who have left us… Mom, David's dad, our daughter Mary.
“It has scribbles of grands and special messages.
“Everyone signs it at our Thanksgiving and then I embroider it each year: it is quite a treasure to me.
“Along the edge is a key of what color goes with what year.
“Thanksgiving is this weekend at our house so we are ready for a new set of signatures."
Their family tradition has a long history. In the Victorian era (and even earlier), people also used tablecloths and hanging tapestries as a convenient way of storing information about the family tree.
It wasn't uncommon to create designs (like the one above) to help keep track of the whole extended family.
It's a beautiful way to note and celebrate everyone's place as a treasured part of the family.
We've even seen a similar take on the tradition in church, where it has an equally symbolic value.
For example, Holy Trinity Church embroiders the names of all parishioners on the altar cloth.
That way, even after they've passed on, their friends and family at the church will never forget them.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, some enterprising hosts have found a way to incorporate the tradition into their own celebrations.
A beautifully laid table is a wonderful tradition for the holiday, but there's something extra special about making everything about the day — right down to the tablecloth — about the family.
After all, this holiday is first and foremost about coming together with the ones you love to celebrate all of the good things in your lives.
Some tables make a point of giving the family an opportunity to share what they're grateful for.
This host passes out markers to the guests, and has them jot down a message in a blank space on the tablecloth.
This is a nice way to celebrate the holiday, and serves as a “yearbook” for generations to come.
Still, we have a special place in our hearts for the most recent variation on the theme.
We love the idea of simply having your loved ones sign the table, and then embroidering the signature into place to last for years to come.
This way, you'll always have a record of the handwriting of every soul in your family, and you'll never forget to thank the people who came before you.
Do you love this gorgeous family tradition? Let us know in the comments and don't forget to SHARE this sweet idea with your own Thanksgiving table!
