Sixteen years ago, back when I was still a young mother of only three, I came across this idea in a magazine and it has become one of our most cherished holiday traditions. Every year at Thanksgiving we trace the children's hands on the holiday tablecloth. My mom then embroiders the name and date of each child in the handprint.
The adults trace their hands the first time they spend Thanksgiving with us, so I even have a my dad's handprint; a vivid reminder of all the Thanksgivings we spent with him before his death in 2004. Stephen and Zachary were 5 and 3 when we started this tradition and they each stopped tracing their hands several years ago. Sarah was a baby, and we have her footprint on the tablecloth, as well as all 16 years of her handprints. This is probably the last year she'll trace her hand. Melissa's footprint and an entire life of handprints are also on the tablecloth, as well as some family and friends who have only been with us a time or two.
My mom always asked the kids what color they wanted their handprints, so we remember when Zachary's favorite color was pink and Melissa's was lime green. We have all the paw prints from our dogs and cats, too. My mom added all the names of other pets we've had over the years as well, including Stephen's pet rats, the girls' gerbils, and Zachary's mouse. Even "Big Bertha," Melissa's pet millipede, is recorded on our tablecloth.
It's amazing how quickly the years fly by, how fast the children grow, family members pass on, and residences change. This tablecloth helps capture some of those precious memories.
This year was Ivy's first Thanksgiving with us, so it was time to trace her paw on the tablecloth
She was a willing and cooperative subject.
Some family members, however, tend to be a little less cooperative.
The kids noticed that Lester's pawprint, made two years ago, was made when he was just a kitten. Since his paws have grown since then, they insisted that he get a second pawprint.
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