Meet Tom T. Gracias. He's a new addition to our home this year. I can't decide if he is cute or creepy (😂), but he's really growing on me so I'm guessing he's the former. I found him in Michaels last month, and although I didn't buy him right away, he kept popping into my head. I think it is because he is a creative take on a popular Thanksgiving activity: writing down what you're grateful for and then reading those things aloud on the actual holiday.
Tom (a name I totally made up) was actually created by the company Turkey on the Table (read more about them below). He's a hit with my family, and I don't just mean my kids. Even my nieces love him and write down what they are grateful for on a blank feather so they can add it to his tail. I mean, I don't even have to ask any of them to go write something down. They just see him and grab a feather and a pen.
I left him attached to the "board" he came with, but he'll easily stand alone on his big feet. He's a sturdy guy, which is good because he gets handled a lot as the kids try to attach his feathers. I chose to set him up way in advance of the holiday so that my kids would spend time thinking on a daily basis about those things for which they are grateful. I don't want them to just think about it once a year on Thanksgiving. So Tom may stay up for a while.
He came with a small picture book that describes his purpose. You can read it to your young children - they'll love the illustrations and rhyming story. And he also came with a set of blank feathers and a permanent marker. But I'll be honest, I decided to use dry-erase pens so that the kids could correct any mistakes and so we could use the feathers again next year. But if you visit their website, Turkey on the Table offers a variety of feather styles and other accessories.
Oh! And one of the best parts of him is that he's multilingual. Ha! You can write on his feathers in whatever language you wish.
Part of why he caught my eye at the store is that the company has partnered with the nonprofit Feeding America. According to the company's website:
To date, over 1 million meals have been donated through the efforts of Turkey on the Table. For each Turkey on the Table® kit purchased, Turkey on the Table donates one dollar to Feeding America on your behalf, which in turn helps secure ten meals.
So in buying this turkey kit, I managed to double the difference I am making. And that means a lot to me.
Although I bought Tom at my local Michaels, you can find out more about him on this website: turkeyonthetable.com.
Just so you know: This is not a sponsored post in any way. I stumbled upon this lovely product on my own and paid for him out of my pocket as a gift for my family. I love this activity so much, I wanted to share with you...
Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.