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For a richer viewing experience, please enable images for your inbox. Once Upon A Family
Ann Cueva
Independent Consultant
727-538-8150
accustom@tampabay.rr.com
www.onceuponafamily.com/organize
VISIT MY WEBSITE | SHOP ONLINE | SEND US YOUR TRADITIONS | HOST A CELEBRATION | JOIN MY TEAM | FORWARD TO A FRIEND
Traditions to strengthen Family Ties. Thanksgiving and traditions go hand-in-hand. Each family has their own traditions that make their holiday celebrations complete. When families join, more traditions are added and this makes for an interesting holiday to say the least. You may begin a new tradition without realizing it. Have you ever used the same serving platter year after year simply because it is the most convenient? You may be surprised that someone may notice if, for some reason, you don't use it. Because of that, keep a log of when your dishes were acquired, and a memo with any history about that item in a Thanksgiving notebook. November Special: Holiday Cards This beautiful set of 4in x 6in note cards comes in an array of holiday photographs (4 each of 4 designs). Tuck them away in your Portfolio for Cards & Letters and you’re ready to send a quick holiday thank you, some love and encouragement, or whatever message the occasion calls for. Even when things get hectic during the holiday season, it’s always important to take a moment to remember someone special in your life. Set includes 16 blank note cards & 16 envelopes.
Thanksgiving Gazette. If you are not hosting the big dinner, then here’s your chance to contribute to the holiday. This tradition involves turning your family into a news crew, and is especially fun with a big crowd. Assign everyone in the family a task to be responsible for throughout the day. The older children can act as reporters and photographers, while the adults can be the interviewees. Every year choose one of the eldest family members and make their life history the paper’s front-page feature. The younger children can even help, by contributing to the art section of the gazette. Don’t forget inside family jokes and a quote for the day. If your family is skilled on the computer, you can put it all together by the end of the day, and pass out a copy to everyone. Be sure to send extra copies to family members who couldn’t attend your Thanksgiving dinner. November Special: Our Christmas Memories Box Preserve and pass on your family’s Christmas ornaments in our beautiful Christmas Memories Box. Not only is this the perfect solution for safely storing delicate ornaments, but it can also be used as a beautiful decorative accessory during the holidays. Forget the tedious chore of wrapping each Christmas ornament in tissue paper in order to protect it. Once you create a nest of tissue inside each partition, you merely remove and hang each ornament while carrying the removable drawer with you as you walk around the tree. Now it’s even easier to take your Christmas tree down! Box measures 16inL x 11inW x 8inH. Individual compartments measure 3in x 3in x 3in.
Turkey Placemats This year have your kids help you assign seating for Thanksgiving with homemade, personalized turkey placements. Select a color of textured construction paper that goes with your Thanksgiving décor (tan, olive green, gold, burnt orange) and buy enough to cut placemats for every guest. Have the children place their hand on the placemats and outline their hand with a pen or pencil to make a turkey shape. Dress up each turkey with paper feathers in harvest colors and add the name of the person who will be using that placemat for dinner. If you want to make these placemats really special, ask the children to write what they are grateful for about each person on that person’s placemat. Make it a surprise for the adults. Not only will everyone know where to sit, but they will have a memorable Thanksgiving keepsake to take home. Keys of Happiness. What better way to start conversations in your home then when you present a family member with one of our Keys of Happiness. Dad gets the Responsibility Key for all he does at work. Timmy gets the Honesty Key and Suzie gets the Courage Key. Conversations will be plentiful and everyone will want to be a part of it. Includes: Love, Joy, Dream, Compassion, Responsibility, Courage, Family, Faith, Honesty, Gratitude, Patience, Perseverance. No substitutions
Flip through our online catalog.Tree of Thanks. On large piece of white paper, trace your hand and forearm all the way up to your elbow. Make sure your fingers are spread apart. The tracing of your forearm will be the tree trunk and your fingers will be the branches! Color it in with brown paint, crayons, or markers. Cut leaf shapes out of construction paper (use reds, oranges, yellows, and browns to make colorful Autumn leaves). On each leaf, write something you are thankful for. Glue the leaves onto your tree. Suggestions from Mary in California: We used brown construction paper for the tree trunk. Each year we add new leaves to our tree and, as the kids get older, they are thankful for different things.
Thanksgiving Abacus: A few years ago, when I was trying to think of a way to encourage my children, Amanda 7, Mitch 5, and Andrew 3, to appreciate the true meaning of Thanksgiving, I came upon an idea they now request every year. I brought our colorful abacus to the Thanksgiving dinner table. After our meal, we each chose a row of beads and took turns sliding a bead across as we named something we were grateful for. It not only held the kids' attention, but also gave them a few minutes to think about our family's many blessings. ~ Ami P., Federal Way, Washington Jack Horner Pie: Throughout the year, I buy or make a small gift for each of my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. I wrap each present in tissue paper, tying on a long piece of ribbon with a name tag at the end. I then put all of the gifts in a large bowl covered with a brown paper crust, pulling all of the ribbons out through a hole in the center of the crust. We bring out the pie after we've finished our Thaxnksgiving meal, and each person finds his or her name tag. On the count of three, everyone pulls the ribbons and the gifts explode from the pie. It is my family's favorite Thanksgiving dish! ~ Harriet B., Wolverine, Michigan Tom’s Turkey Trail Have some fun with the little ones in your life by introducing them to Tom the Turkey! Tom, much like a leprechaun, comes around during the month of November and wants to know who is grateful and for what. Place a little basket on the front step or in the garden or wherever your children, grandchildren or neighbor kids think that Tom would be able to find it. On the eve of Thanksgiving (or any day of the month you choose) have the children write all the things they are thankful for on a piece of paper. Place these lists in the basket and wait! Tom should come by and take the lists leaving a trail of some sort with some special treats at the end of the trail. Sometimes Tom even leaves a note praising the children for their grateful attitudes! Share Your Smile Make this the month that you and your family volunteer at a community shelter, nursing home or maybe even the local hospital. Volunteers are always needed to help serve a special Thanksgiving meal to those in need. It feels great to give when you are able, so give your time and warmth this month to others as you serve them a warm dinner with a smile! Look in your local newspaper or call your local Chamber of Commerce for events in your area. A Chain of Thanks Be the first in your neighborhood to start a Chain of Thanks to recognize all the things you love about your neighborhood. Use 4 - 6 pieces of fall colored construction paper: red, yellow, orange, brown. Cut long strips about 1 inch wide. Have everyone in your family write on one of the strips just exactly what he or she loves about your neighborhood. Create a chain by folding over the strip to make a loop and securing it with a piece of tape. Take the next strip and thread it through the first loop, create a second loop and repeat until you create a chain. Place your Chain of Thanks in a basket along with the extra strips of paper and some tape. Leave it on your neighbor’s doorstep and they will know exactly what to do!
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VISIT MY WEBSITE | SHOP ONLINE | SEND US YOUR TRADITIONS | HOST A CELEBRATION | JOIN MY TEAM | FORWARD TO A FRIEND

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