Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times of the year. Turkey, football, parades, colorful leaves, friends and family—there’s so much to do and see. And if you’re hosting the big day things can be even more hectic. With all this craziness we sometimes forget what the holiday is all about: Being thankful. And, with just 2 weeks until the big day, this craft is a great way to start thinking about what you’re thankful for.
When’s the last Thanksgiving you actually had time to think about all the things in your life that you’re thankful for? Make a little time by trying your hand at making a Thankful Tree. When we saw this unique Thanksgiving craft we just had to share it with you because of its simple and grounded message. We won’t prune trim this tree for you because we’re pretty sure your Thanksgiving guests will make their own changes to this simple and interactive craft.
For this project you’ll need a few items, including:
- Large, die-cut paper leaves
- Black gel pens/markers
- Hole punch
- Scissors
- Spool of baker’s twine
- 2 bunches of curly willow
- Postcard paper
- Picture frame
- Package of crayons
- Colored pencils
- Tall vase
Once you’ve got all your items together it’s exciting to start putting together your thankful tree. There’s two main parts to this craft and they are: 1) the tree, and 2) the instructional postcard.
For the tree
Take a couple of bunches of curly willow and place them in your vase. This will serve at the tree’s branches and will be where you hang the leaves. After that you can punch holes in your leaves. The more variety in your leaves the more beautiful your tree will be. After your leaves have holes in them you can cut your twine up in 3 inch pieces and loop it through the holes in the leaves so the leaves can hang from the branches. For more detailed instructions, take a look at this blog.
For the instructional postcard
Since this is an interactive craft and meant for your guests, it might be a good idea to create a framed instructional postcard that says something along the lines of:
“We are so thankful that you came to spend Thanksgiving day with us. What are you thankful for? Write a not and share it with us on the Thankful Tree!”
or even something as simple as
“What are you thankful for?”
It’s your Thankful Tree so write whatever message you like!
At the end of the evening you can read all the notes of thanks together and take a moment to reflect on what each person is thankful for. A cute idea is to let your guests date their leaf or leaves and take them home. To keep the Thankful Tree going as a tradition, bring it out each year so everyone can add new leaves and remember all there is to give thanks for in their lives.
We’re thankful for a lot of things including our clients who trust us with the care of their trees. If you’re going to try your hand at creating a Thankful Tree this fall, be sure to share a picture with us on Facebook.