Thanksgiving Day is a yearly American holiday that celebrates our prosperity. Families across the nation gather on this cold November Thursday to enjoy each other, the season, and good food. Family traditions will include taking turns giving thanks, preparing and carving a turkey, baking pies, playing games, and of course watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade. However your family enjoys celebrating, let ImpressInPrint.com help you customize your Thanksgiving Day Invitations to invite family and friends over for your Thanksgiving feast. We have hundreds of Thanksgiving and Fall designs to choose from to give your special event the perfect touch.

Features:

• Thanksgiving Themes & Decorations
• Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas
• Turkeys Themed Invitations
• History of Thanksgiving
• Thanksgiving Invitation Wording
• Thanksgiving Day Activities

Send Thanksgiving photo greeting cards to your family and friends to express your love and thanks.

Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without the elegant tablesetting we all associate with this classic American holiday. Decorating a table to perfection includes highlighting Thanksgiving themes to enhance the glory of the feast your family is preparing. All Thanksgiving themes will boast traditional fall colors (think red, orange, yellow, and brown) to enhance the beauty of the season outdoors. Though it may be snowing by Thinksgiving where you live, your home should eminate a welcoming warmth.

Bringing out the colors in fall leaves is an excellent way to capture the beauty of the season. Silk fall leaf garland is available from your local craft store, along with fake berries, wheat, and pumpkins that can be added as accents and used year after year. Be sure to change out your candles to fall colors and light them before your guests arrive. Also, filling a cornucopia with harvest fruits and vegetables is a gorgeous addition for the table centerpiece.

If you are planning a celebration on a budget, there are several quick substitutions you can make to traditional decorating that will still give your event a nice touch. Tie your napkins with orange ribbon instead of using expensive traditional napkin holders to bring in extra color. Use your main dish as your centerpiece by setting your turkey on a bed of lettuce. Add some purple onion slices, unshelled chestnust, small tomatoes, and fingerling potatoes to garnish with edible color.

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas:

Having family and friends over for Thanksgiving dinner? Send your Thanksgiving Invitations with reply cards of what you are creating for dinner. Another nice include for your card is to print your favorite "spicy" recipe that is flavored with autumn spices. Consider including a request for your guests to bring their favorite fall sidedish or dessert to add to the Thanksgiving feast. Since you can personalize your Thanksgiving invitations, you can put anything you want in your invitations, elegantly printed and presented with quality!

Try including this delicious stuffing recipe in your menu this year to go with your Thanksgiving turkey. Your guests will enjoy the slightly tangy flavor that will help bring your turkey to life!

Raisin and Apple Stuffing

Ingredients:
• 1 c. raisins
• 1.5 c. fresh orange juice
• 2 c. chopped celery
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 c. butter or margarine
• 1 lb. Italian sausage
• 1 lb. crushed herb-seasoned stuffing
• 4 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
• 1 c. pecans, chopped
• 2 c. chicken broth
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, bring raisins and 1 cup orange juice to a boil. Remove from the heat; set aside (do not drain).
2. In a skillet, saute celery and onion in 1/2 cup butter until tender. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. In the same skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add sausage, stuffing, apples, pecans, remaining orange juice and remaining butter; add broth, thyme and pepper.
4. Pour over stuffing mixture; mix well.
5. Place in two greased 13" x 9" x 2" baking dishes.
6. Cover and bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Refrigerate any leftovers.

The turkey was adopted as a traditional part of Thanksgiving over time. The first Thanksgivings in the colonies likely served various wild fowl among other main dishes. However, as farms were established and wild turkeys were domesticated, it became practical for the turkey to be used as a main dish, and so it was adopted as the nation's primary choice for Thanksgiving dinner. Today, about one-third of all turkey consumption occurs during the winter holiday season.

It is no surprise that with the turkey's popularity in this season, it has been adapted to decorate countless designs of invitations. A distinct and large bird, the turkey has become a major theme in fun activities for children. Everyone has made a turkey out of their handprint as a child! This lovable symbol is recognizable across the nation as the mascot for Thanksgiving. Take a look at our Turkey Products and see how you can incorporate a classic theme into more than just your Thanksgiving Day meal!

History of Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving became an anual tradition in the United States in 1863. Before that, it was celebrated at various times by individual colonies or communities since settling in the New World. The traditional image that children are taught of the first thanksgiving likely happened between the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians in 1621. Some traditional foods that we associate with Thanksgiving today were said to be a part of the first Thanksgiving as well, including wild fowl (such as turkeys), pumpkins, and chestnuts. Some sources even assert that popcorn was a traditional side that would have been brought by the Native Americans.

Though this point marked the beginning of European celebration fo Thanksgiving, it was by no means the first time that a Thanksgiving celebration was held. Harvest feasts are traditional to many Native American cultures, that existed long before the discovery of the New World or the time of the mayflower. After a bountiful harvest, tribes would give thanks in religious ceremonies that included dance and celebration for their good fortune. When Thanksgiving was adopted by newly settled Europeans, they likewise passed on a religious aspect to the holiday with a Christian twist. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated as a secular holiday, though many families privately incorporate their individual religions into their holiday celebrations.

Elegant fall bounty themed invitations add a beautiful touch to your annual Thanksgiving Dinner.

When selecting your wording for your Thanksgiving invitations, there are a few things you will need to include. Because Thanksgiving is on a set day, it is more important to focus on the nature of your event than when it will occur. Here is a quick summary of things you may want to include. Your invitation should cater to your specific needs, but this guide will give you an idea of what not to leave out!

• Timing: Guests need to know when to arrive and when to expect to eat. Because Thanksgiving is traditionally a huge feast, guests will plan the rest of their food intake for that day according to when they will be eating this meal.
• Nature of the Event: It may seem obvious that you are getting together for Thanksgiving, but it is not obvious what you have planned for your event. Thanksgiving Day could include games, activities, and socializing all day long. It could mean attempting to fry, roast, or barbeque a turkey in the backyard. The attire and atmosphere could be relaxed and casual or formal for a sit-down dinner. Be sure your guests are informed on how they should show up, and what to expect for the day.
• Tone: Different families celebrate in different ways, so make sure the tone and font of your invitation matches the formality of your event.
• Location: Be sure to include the address of your home or wherever you are hosting your event. Since Thanksgiving often extended family, they may not be as familiar with the location of your home as your immediate family. Avoid confusion of how to get to your home on the day of by including the exact address on your invitation.
• RSVP: You will want your guests to RSVP to your invitation so you know how much food (and how big of a turkey) needs to be cooked. Formal invitations should have an RSVP card included. Casual and semi-formal invitations can include RSVP information on the invitation. Be sure to include an RSVP date, contact information, and whether you want all guests to reply or if you need regrets only.

Formal Thanksgiving Wording Example:

It wouldn't be fall without the joy
that comes from being with friends and family
Please join us for
Thanksgiving Dinner
Hosted by the Martins
Thanksgiving Day at three in the afternoon
Dinner served at half past four
7611 Davisburg Road
Davisburg, Michigan
R.S.V.P. by November 15th
to (655) 712-4760

Casual Thanksgiving Wording Example:

Join us on the farm for a
Thanksgiving Festival!
Thanksgiving Day
12 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Turkey carved at 4 p.m.
Wildwood Farms
Emily & John David Lewis
Bring a blanket to sit on
and we'll provide the rest!

Thanksgiving Day Activities

Having a big party? Send your Thanksgiving Invitations with a request that your guest bring their favorite games. Be sure to have Thanksgiving themed paper on hand from ImpressInPrint for the kids to use for Thanksgiving drawing. Ask the kids to create Thanksgiving pictures. When they are finished, display the drawings in the kitchen or in the dining room for added holiday decoration.

Another creative idea as a kid's activity: give the kids Thanksgiving paper from ImpressInPrint.com and ask them to write from 5 to 10 reasons they are thankful and what they are thankful for. During the sit-down dinner, when everyone is settled, have one child at a time stand up to read their list of "thankfulness". This is an excellent activity for adults as well, so get the whole group involved! Save the Thanksgiving Party Invitation papers in a keepsake box. Next Thanksgiving, have your guests make out new "thankfulness" lists and then give them the previous year's invitation paper with their "thankful" list so they can read and compare what they are thankful for from year-to-year. This makes a wonderful, lifelong keepsake that is personal for each and every one of your guests at Thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Invitations

Pumkins everywhere! These versatile pumpkin invitations are great for fall, Thanksgiving, or Halloween!

Thanksgiving Wedding Invitations

These elegant themed options bring a seasonal touch to your wedding or formal event.

Thanksgiving Harvest Invitations

Fall harvest invitations are great for Thanksgiving or for a farm harvest event!

Halloween Invitations

Halloween is for many a favorite Fall holiday! We have colorful designs for adults and children with all of your favorite Halloween themes.

Leaf Themed Invitationsions

Gorgeous and colorful leaves to enhance your Thanksgiving Day celebration.

Cornucopia Invitations

A symbol of the harvest bounty, decorations at Thanksgiving would not be complete without the cornucopia.