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in Family· Thanksgiving

Family Holiday Tradition: Memory Tablecloth

I am a sappy, sentimental girl. I had cameos from both of my grandmothers on my wedding flowers, my sister Debbie’s china, my mom’s wedding ring, and on and on. I love traditions and history and family, and when I find things that combine these loves, I get, well, sappy and often teary eyed. I can’t help it. I just do.  (What’s interesting is that my 6 year old has been like this since we can remember…must come naturally to us!). Anyway, someone posted on Facebook once about a new family holiday tradition they were starting, and it involved a white tablecloth, some fabric markers, and a whole lot of memories.  They were using the plain tablecloth on Thanksgiving, but having everyone present write or draw a memory or something they were thankful for on that tablecloth. The idea was that each year, the cloth would be used again, and each year, more memories would be shared, even more to treasure.

family-holiday-tradition-memory-tablecloth-hero

I fell in love with that idea before I finished reading what it was about.  A way to share old memories and make new ones at the same time?  Perfect.  I’m not one to be all, “if only” but when I think about how amazing it would be to have things on our family’s memory tablecloth from those who are no longer with us, I do get a little misty.  I try instead to focus on thinking how much they would have loved this idea, and encouraged everyone to follow suit.

 

memory-tablecloth

You might be thinking that I’m a little crazy, and isn’t Thanksgiving- and really, aren’t all holidays- a time to use the best linens with the best dishes?  To present as fancy as we can? Well, it may be. But I promise you, my sister’s china set looks just as beautiful on our tablecloth woven with memories as it does on any other linens. It’s maybe not something a designer would choose, but I’m more about the memories made, shared and remembered than appearances.

tablecloth turkey

And so each year, we pull this cloth out for Thanksgiving, and have started to also use it at Christmas time.  It’s not just for “the” day of holidays, but to gather memories from friends and family who are with us during celebrations. It’s a lot of white and is just starting to look memory-filled, but that’s part of the beauty of this tradition.

memory-tablecloth-looking

With a tablecloth full of these memories, and moments of gratitude, I want to take care that none of these images or writing get erased or faded.  I obviously don’t want food stains to STAY on this cloth, especially since it’s white.

 

speed queen panel

Thanks to my Speed Queen washer and dryer, I have a plethora of settings to both clean and protect this priceless tablecloth so that my family can use it, enjoy it, and add to it for many, many more years. I’m hoping the cloth outlasts the Speed Queen, although the way the Speed Queen machines are built using metal parts and not plastic, I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t the other way around!

 

speed-queen-washer-dryer-set
Now, I’d like to get one of you started on this very same tradition at your house.  While I’d love to also send one of you a washer/dryer combo, that’s not happening until February 2016 *yes it is*! BUT…
One reader will win a Family Holiday Traditions Memory Prize Pack from me, myself and I, including a white tablecloth (you can choose round/oval/rectangle/size), a pack of fabric markers and a $50 Visa Gift Card.  I am doing this because I love this tradition THAT much and want to help another family to enjoy a meal with loved ones and be able to start this tradition at their house. Enter on the giveway tools widget below. 

 

Thank you to Speed Queen for sending us the washer and dryer to use, and for inspiring me to share this treasured part of my family holiday traditions.  Opinions are my own. 

About Brett

I'm a 40 something lifestyle blogger living in Connecticut with my husband and our 3 kids, plus our two rescue pups. We love to hike, travel, play games, watch movies, and just be outside together! Having 3 active kids makes for a hectic schedule and I try to share content, recipes and other things that can help to make today's busy family life simpler, easier, or just plain more fun!

I started working full time at a local middle school in fall 2021 and some of my students are insistent that I am mean.

Comments

  2. Lisa L says

    I love putting up the tree right after Thanksgiving dinner with the family. It makes everyone so excited!

  4. Brian E. says

    Thank You for the giveaway…decorating Xmas cookies with my Mom & siblings as a kid, and now decorating them with my kids !

  9. Timothy says

    My favorite tradition is putting out all of the outdoor decorations with my father. We build a big tree out of only lights from the side of the house.

  10. AEKZ2 says

    My favorite holiday memory is the first one my husband and I spent together. We didn’t have much money, but we were happy with our little Charlie Brown tree.

  13. Gina Ferrell says

    My favorite holiday tradition is every Christmas Eve we wear our Christmas pajamas and bake goodies and watch movies.

  14. Trisha McKee says

    I love Christmas Eve because I get up early and start preparing the dips and foods and drinks and throughout the day, family and friends stop by. It is a constant stream of laughter and chatter and fun.

  18. Rosey says

    My favorite tradition was decorating the tree with my grandma and being allowed to fall asleep on the couch in the living room next to it that night. 🙂

  21. Kristi C says

    My favorite holiday tradition is our family trip to the local tree farm the weekend after Thanksgiving to pick out the best tree for our family. We have been doing it since our children were little.

  23. Sherry Conrad says

    Our favorite tradition is going out to look at lights on Christmas eve and Santa makes a super special early stop to deliver pj’s or blankies, a movie, a game and a sausage, cheese, cracker etc snack fest to make the waiting for his real visit easier. 🙂 30+ years and still going strong into the next generation with the grandkids.

  24. Ellie Wright says

    My favorite holiday tradition is the treasure hunt we set up for the kids on Christmas morning. Starting with a note under their pillows they follow clues left all over the house that leads to a special gift.

  30. Laurie Emerson says

    I learned that the first Speed Queen® laundry machine was built in Ripon, Wisconsin, in 1908.

  31. Laurie Emerson says

    My favorite holiday tradition is baking sugar cookies with buttercream frosting as a family. We all have different things to when making them and then decorate them together. When they are done we bring them to the local Senior Citizens Home on Christmas Eve.

  36. Karen Drake says

    My favorite holiday memories are of going to my Grandparent’s house every Christmas Eve. My cousins and Aunt and Uncle were there and we would have dinner, open presents and the adults would drink Tom & Jerry’s.

  40. Julie Lundstrom says

    I like that my Mom and all of my sisters get together and spend a whole day holiday baking. Having all of us in one kitchen always makes an interesting day. Then we all split up what we made and send baking boxes home to our families.

  42. Amanda Alvarado says

    My favorite tradition is attending the Children’s Christmas Eve mass! Dd has been singing in the choir since she was 4 – she is now 8! This will be her fourth year!

  44. Deanna says

    My favorite holiday memory is my brother and me getting to pick one gift to open several days before Christmas to tie us over. 😉

  55. Kim Henrichs says

    I learned that In mid-September, 2014, Speed Queen partnered with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF) to launch a campaign that has raised more than $20,330 for breast cancer research and awareness.

  59. Janet W. says

    My favorite holiday tradition is baking and decorating gingerbread men and women with my grandsons!

  60. sandra davis says

    Speed Queen is a great brand. I learned that their machines are manufactured using metal instead of plastic. They are built to last.

  61. sandra davis says

    My favorite holiday memory is watching my Mom open her presents. She took care with every one of them, kept them pretty bows and was always so excited no matter what the gift was. She loved Christmas and they aren’t the same without her.

  63. Devon F says

    My favorite holiday tradition is driving around to see all the Christmas lights & drinking hot chocolate with the family

  66. jeanette sheets says

    favorite tradition at christmas is we always hold a candle light vigil for our loved ones and others who can no longer be with us at holidays for memorial

  69. Seyma Shabbir says

    My favorite tradition is watching old home movies and pictures from that year on our network hard drive. We love to see the places we have gone or things we have done. Lots of fun!

  70. D Schmidt says

    Our favorite tradition is baking cookies together, my children get to pick a new recipe to try every year.

  71. Cheryl Abdelnour says

    Mom and Dad always made Christmas special. We would celebrate on Christmas Eve because my Dad was a farmer. One year my Uncle brought Shetland Ponies to our home. He even brought one into the house.

  72. Susan Christy says

    My favorite memory is getting my first big bicycle – NO TRAINING WHEELS – when I was 7 or 8. Luckily it was unusually nice weather – no snow – so I could ride it all day.

  73. Arin says

    I think my most favorite tradition is our Christmas bread. Every Christmas we bake a special bread which has a nut hidden inside. During breakfast everyone chooses a piece of bread. The one who has a slice with the nut gets to open his/her present first. It also helps with the crying and fighting about who can do it first. We usually let the little one choose his slice first and so on. This has been in a tradition in our family for at least 5 generations.

  76. Sandy Weinstein says

    i like the front loading washers, i learned that they 5x longer warranties for the electrical and 3x for the mechanical. i also learned they have balancing technology.

  77. Sandy Weinstein says

    when i was little our family would celebrate both christmas and hanukkah . there was such a small jewish community in our city, and when you are young and most of your friends celebrate christmas it was hard for us to understand. it was great though we got presents for both. we would light the candles every nite and say the prayers and get presents for 8 days and christmas.

  81. Kelly D says

    My favorite tradition is making ornaments with the help of my kids every year to hang on our Christmas tree.

  82. Julie Wood says

    I like that Speed Queen makes a variety of washers and dryers. I like that they make a stackable washer and dryer combo.

  83. Julie Wood says

    My favorite Holiday tradition is getting the whole family together and going to pick out the perfect Christmas tree!

  84. Ashley C says

    We always decorated our Christmas tree together as family on Thanksgiving evening or the day after. I have such fond memories of that!

  86. Deborah W. says

    I learned that Speed Queen got it start in 1908 by two men who sold hardware. They started the Speed Queen brand name in 1928.

  87. Deborah W. says

    Our favorite family tradition is to get together on Christmas morning, open gifts and then eat a large lunch together, usually turkey and ham, along with pumpkin pie.

  88. Courtney says

    Love this tablecloth idea! Mine is always trimming the tree. It started when I was a kid and we’d make a whole night of it with snacks and songs and now I do it with my kids.

  90. Brittney House says

    My favorite memory was when I received my first computer for Christmas. It was such a great surprise.

  91. Don D says

    I hope that my favorite holiday will occur this year. This will be the first Christmas since I was 7 that I have spent with my mother, and I am 46.

  92. Barbara Montag says

    My sis and I started a new tradition a couple of years ago.
    Each holiday season we see a Christmas play/show.
    It’s sister time.
    thank you

  93. Stephanie Liske says

    We love having celebration on Christmas Eve, and we have Santa come check on the kids in their beds.

  94. Carolyn Benson says

    I have Speed Queen washer and dryer and they are some of the best appliances I’ve ever owned. I’d buy them again in a minute but as of now they show no signs of stopping.

  95. Carolyn Benson says

    I’m a retired widow now so I don’t do it any more but for years I had every holiday at my house. I loved having my whole family at our dining room table celebrating Christmas and Easter and Thanksgiving. Those are some of my most treasured memories.

  96. Alyce Poalillo says

    My best Christmas memory is many years ago when my mother, grandfather and I used to walk into town, often in the snow, to pick out our Christmas tree from the tree lot and carry it home and then decorate it together on Christmas Eve.

  98. Ann Fantom says

    My favorite holiday tradition is baking Christmas cookies with my daughter like I did with my mom and grandmother

  100. Cynthia C says

    Speed Queen was my mom’s favorite brand of washer and it is what she always used. I remember her old wringer washer when I was little.

  102. Brittany winters says

    My mom actually started this same tradition when I was a kid! She would put it on the table for Christmas Eve, but leave it there until after NYE so that way any family and friends that came to visit could leave their mark. She recently passed it on to me and I cannot wait to share it with my kids, especially my dads marks, words, drawings since he passed away yrs before they came along

  106. Tim A says

    My favorite Holiday tradition was the whole family spending the weekend after Thanksgiving going to get the Christmas Tree and decorating the house for Christmas. It was a great time.

  107. Paol Trenny says

    I like that they partnered with The Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF) to launch a campaign that has raised more than $20,330 for breast cancer research and awareness.

  109. Paol Trenny says

    Our favorite holiday tradition is christmas eve mass and opening of presents on christmas morning.

  111. Margaret Smith says

    My favorite tradition is that my family and I put two Christmas trees up. One the kids decorate only and the other the whole family decorates. The kids really love having their own tree to decorate.

  112. shelly peterson says

    Our favorite tradition is to decorate the tree and then having hot cocoa and cookies afterwards.

  113. Betsy Rubendall Barnes says

    I learned that Speed Queen washers and dryers are built using metal where others use plastic and they are designed to last 25 years. 🙂

  114. Betsy Rubendall Barnes says

    My favorite holiday tradition is doing all the decorating, especially the tree. We make a party, have snacks, finger foods, Christmas music, always a fun time 🙂

  115. Jennifer Boehme says

    I learned they partnered with the breast cancer foundation to launch a campaign that has raised more than $20,330 for breast cancer research and awareness.

  117. Sandy Klocinski says

    My dad had a life-size manger scene he would display on the front lawn of our house every year with lights and people would come from miles around to “ooh” and “ahhh.” He loved setting that up every year : ) My dad loved Christmas and having his family together. While I miss him not being here to share in making new memories, I will always have that very special memory of him.

  124. Shauna says

    I agree that is a wonderful tradition. I am just as sappy about memories and making them, so this would be perfect for us 🙂 Thanks for sharing and for the chance to win

  125. Ann Bacciaglia says

    This is such a great idea. I would love to do this with my kids. I will have to share this with my friends with little ones.

  127. Jeanine says

    What a really creative and unqiue idea. I love this, I’d love to do this especially when my kiddos are older and have their own kids!

  128. Kathy says

    This is an amazing idea! I wish I would have done something like this years ago. I think I may actually start this during the holidays this year. I love it! It’s nice to look back on memories like this.

  129. Jennifer Boehme says

    My favorite is watching Nat. Lampoons Christmas Vacation to start the holidays off on Thanksgiving. Everyone together, laughing, and starting to hang decorations at my moms.

  130. Meagan says

    I love this idea of a memory table cloth! What a fun tradition that your family can cherish forever!

  131. Stacie says

    This is a beautiful tradition. You can look at it years from now and bring back some great memories. And what a wonderful giveaway. Someone is going to love this!

  133. Cynthia R says

    I learned their first machine was built in 1908 in Ripon, Wisconsin. They employ 1600 workers.

  134. Cynthia R says

    We all get the kids something, but amongst the adults we do a secret santa exchange. The money we would have spent on adults, we donate to a local charity or person in need.

  137. Paula H says

    I love this idea! I’m sappy and sentimental too and totally relate to the feeling of wishing those who are no longer with us were included in these things. But they are in spirit. This looks like a really durable washer dryer pair, I’d actually love to do laundry if I had that set!

  138. Jennifer says

    I love this idea. I wish I’d done something like this when my daughter was young. It’s such a fantastic way to commemorate the holidays.

  139. Jennifer Sikora says

    That’s a great tradition to have.We do that with a thankful tree every year. I have saved some of those handprints and put them in booklets for when my kids leave home 🙂

  141. Shaun McGahey says

    My pregnant hormonal self LOVES this idea! We just moved and have boxes labeled as “Sentimental”.

  143. Holli says

    My sister-in-law started this tablecloth tradition at her home for Thanksgiving, and I want to start this as a new tradition in our house too!

  144. Jackie Watson says

    One of my favorite memories from Chistmas is a pair of elves that sat on the mantle named No and El!

  145. Jeanna says

    I love this idea! My favorite tradition that my kids and I do is make placards for everyone when we have a holiday dinner!

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