Video gift ideas, tips and stories from Tribute -- how to plan, record and share group video tributes for every occasion.
The best Thanksgiving ideas for a fresh year change one thing and keep the rest: move dinner to brunch, cover the table in kraft paper and crayons, play a thank-you video everyone recorded, build a turkey out of the veggie tray, or swap the bird for tacos. Pick one new idea for the food, one for the table and one for the people, and the day feels different without losing what your family loves.
The best New Year's Eve activities fit the night you want: a living room ball drop watch party, a year-in-review group video played before midnight, a noon countdown for small kids, a fondue dinner for two or a skate under the lights downtown. Below are 13 ideas sorted by at home, with kids, as a couple and out of the house, each with the time and cost it takes.
The best Thanksgiving gift ideas are small, easy for a busy host to receive and useful after the guests leave: a group thank-you video from everyone at the table, a pantry treat like chili crisp or good olive oil, a box of pears, a pie dish, a candle or a game for after dinner. Below are 12 picks from $18 to $149, with prices checked on each brand's own site.
The best Thanksgiving present for teacher appreciation from a whole class is one every family can join: a class video where each student says what they're thankful for, a video book, a funded classroom project on DonorsChoose, a warm mug for early mornings, or a box of fall treats for the teachers' lounge. Pool small amounts from each family and one gift from the class beats 25 mugs from 25 kids.
The best Christmas list for teens mixes tech, gaming, skincare and one thing that comes from people instead of a store: a group video from friends and family, a VR headset, Mario Kart World, earbuds with a clip-on case, a pocket speaker, Crocs, a peptide lip treatment and a hand sanitizer mist that smells like mint. Below are 15 ideas from $10 to $349.99, with prices checked on each brand's own site, so a teen can copy them straight onto a wish list.
The best Thanksgiving potluck ideas start with a split: the host makes the turkey and gravy, and everyone else signs up for one category, such as a make-ahead side, a salad that holds at room temperature, rolls, a pie, drinks or ice. Assign by category instead of by dish, cap each category at a set number, and you get a full menu without five green bean casseroles.
The best New Year's Day activities are slow, outdoorsy and a little bit lucky: a First Day Hike, Rose Parade bingo, New Year's Day trivia, a hopes-for-the-year video and a lucky-food brunch. They suit a house where half the people stayed up until 1 a.m., and they give the first day of the year a tradition worth repeating.
The best Christmas present exchange ideas for families are a Yankee swap with a steal limit, a Secret Santa drawn by household, the left-right story game, a dice game and a theme swap such as books or ornaments. Each one below comes with rules you can read aloud, a budget cap that works, and the size of group it suits, from six cousins to forty relatives in one living room.
The best Thanksgiving quotes for family are short enough to read in a toast and true enough that everyone nods: "Family is the only recipe we never change." "The table gets longer, the love gets louder." "Thankful for the people who knew me before I knew myself." Below are 50 quotes, most of them original and a few classics with their real source, grouped for cards, captions, toasts and the people you're grateful for.
The best Thanksgiving wishes to friends and family name the person and one reason you're grateful for them: "Happy Thanksgiving to my son and his beautiful family, the best thing at any table." Below are 50 original wishes sorted by who they're for: grown kids and their families, in-laws, grandchildren, siblings, friends and the whole contact list, plus a way to send one wish from everyone at once.
The best happy New Year family wishes are short, specific and sound like you: "Happy New Year to the people who know all my stories and still laugh at them." Below are copy-ready messages sorted by who you're writing to (parents, grandparents, siblings, kids, in-laws, family far away) and by tone, from funny to heartfelt, plus how to send them together as one family video.
The Christmas letter people read is short, built around one theme and full of small stories instead of a list of achievements. Keep it to one page, give each person in the family a paragraph (or let them write it), open with the funniest moment of the year and close with a real wish for the reader. Below are the steps, five creative Christmas letter ideas and examples you can borrow.
Virtual Christmas cards feel personal when they carry something a paper card can't: your voice, your face, a clip of the kids or messages from the whole family at once. The best options are a photo e-card with a real handwritten-style note, a short personal video, a voice note, a scanned drawing from the kids and a group video card everyone records for. Below is how to make each one, what to write and how to send it.
The best holiday card messages for family and friends match the reader's holiday and add one personal line. "Wishing you light, laughter and a full table this season" works for anyone; "Happy Hanukkah, and may your latkes come out crisp" or "Joyous Kwanzaa to the family that taught us Umoja" works for someone in particular. Below are 43 original messages for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, the New Year and mixed-faith families, plus funny, religious and gentle options.
The best stocking stuffers are small things people use up or play with: a lip balm, a hot sauce, chili crunch, flaky salt, a card game, a good pair of socks, a minty hand sanitizer and a fake puzzle box that hides the real present. Below are 15 stocking stuffers from $9.99 to $25, plus two picks we make that cost a bit more, with prices checked on each brand's own site.
The best Christmas wishes for grandchildren use the child's name, mention one thing they did this year and end with a promise: the next sleepover, the cookie recipe, the story you'll tell when they visit. Below are more than 60 original messages from Grandma and Grandpa, sorted by age, from a baby's first Christmas to a grandchild home from college.
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