The holiday season kicks off with Thanksgiving, and before you know it, you’re caught up in a flurry of busyness. For my family, Thanksgiving is a big gathering with more food than you can eat, and for the last couple of years, we’ve made it a two-day event. On Wednesday, we gather for finger foods, not just your standard veggie tray, but things like sausage rolls, stuffed mushrooms, and a spinach dip bread bowl. Finding time for meaningful Thanksgiving décor seems impossible.
On Thanksgiving Day, we enjoy our traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and a big pan of cheese pierogis smothered in butter and onions. But the celebration of Thanksgiving truly starts in late October when we put up our Thanksgiving Tree, a fun, frugal, and meaningful way to grow gratitude as we head into the holiday season.
What Is a Thanksgiving Tree of Thanks?
A Thanksgiving tree is a simple DIY craft for Thanksgiving décor. How simple is up to you. One of the most common approaches is to arrange bare branches in a vase and attach paper leaves on which family members write things they’re grateful for.
In our family, my daughter came up with a clever twist: a sprawling tree that doesn’t take up much room and can be packed away each year like Christmas decorations.
No matter what type of tree you create, the purpose is the same: it becomes a centerpiece for gratitude. It’s ideal for kids, couples, families, roommates, and even those who live alone.
Materials You’ll Need for Your Thanksgiving Décor (Frugal-Friendly)
The materials depend on the type of tree you create. For a reusable, space-saving Thanksgiving Tree my family uses, you’ll need a wall and:
- Foam board (for trunk and branches)
- Fall-colored construction paper for leaves (we use leaf printables for a colorful, uniform look)
- Double-sided sticky tape and Scotch tape
- Markers and pens
- Brown acrylic paint for the trunk
- X-acto knife
How to Make Your Thanksgiving Tree
- Sketch the tree on foam board and cut it out with an X-acto knife. (Size is up to you).
- Create leaf templates using your printables as stencils (we cut 3–4 different types of leaves for variety).
- Tape the tree to the wall using the double-sided sticky tape.
- Encourage everyone in the household to add gratitude daily: Each day in November (and even the last days of October if your tree is up), encourage each person to add a leaf of gratitude, and if they want to add more than one leaf, that’s great!. We keep pre-cut leaves and a marker on hand and invite friends, family, and visitors to add their thanks leaves too.
Quick Alternative: If time is short, you can skip the crafting and print a ready-to-use template for your Free Printable Thankful Tree with Leaves.
Ideas for Gratitude Prompts
Let’s face it, our culture today finds it easy to complain. Thinking of things to be thankful for can be challenging on a bad day, when you’re tired or just in a bad mood. You may be surprised how much being grateful for even small things can help overcome all that. Here are a few prompts to help you if you feel stuck.
- “Something I’m thankful for at home…”
- “Person I’m thankful for…”
- “A Scripture verse about thanksgiving…”
- “One small joy I noticed today…”
- “A challenge I’m grateful for…”
Make It a Family or Community Tradition
For our family, we now leave our tree up through Christmas. For the New Year, as we dismantle the tree, we read all the gratitude shared on our tree. In the process, we remember all who shared the giving of thanks with us.
- Be sure to include all ages in adding leaves to the tree.
- Invite guests to add their thanks.
- Read the leaves aloud on Thanksgiving Day.
- Share stories of thanksgiving related to the leaves.
Benefits of the Tradition
- Builds daily mindfulness and appreciation for the blessings and trials in life.
- Creates a tangible keepsake you can save year after year.
- Frugal, creative, and heartwarming tradition, and a perfect way to grow gratitude in your home.
- A perfect way to kick off the holiday season.
It’s important to start some tradition and carry it through generations. If a Thanksgiving tree isn’t quite what you’re looking for, you might also want to read our article about the Thanksgiving tablecloth idea.
Thanksgiving Tree Is More than Just a Craft
A Thanksgiving Tree is more than just a craft or Thanksgiving décor. It’s a daily reminder to pause, reflect, and celebrate the blessings we often overlook. Whether simple or elaborate, the act of adding leaves of gratitude helps bring thankfulness to life and creates memories your family can carry forward year after year.
