Thanksgiving Questions for Couples
Gratitude, pie opinions and plans for next year, one card at a time.
- Time
- 15–45 min
- Players
- Two players, no turns
- Best for
- The Thanksgiving long weekend
- Deck
- 100 questions in 5 categories
How to use these Thanksgiving questions
- Pick a category from the menu under the card, or keep “All categories”.
- Read the question on the top card aloud and both answer it.
- Swipe the card away, or tap “Next question”, for the next one. Questions do not repeat until you have seen the whole category.
- Tap the heart to save a question on this device, or tap “Make a 10-question list” for a list you can copy.
When to ask Thanksgiving questions
Thanksgiving gives most couples a rare four days with no meetings and plenty of food. A few questions turn that slow time into a look back at the year and a look ahead at the next one.
While the oven is on
Thursday morning in the kitchen, with something roasting and nothing to do but wait. At the table is the natural place to start.
The quiet Friday after
Leftovers, a blanket and This year. The day after the feast is often the calmest of the whole weekend.
In two different places
If you each spend the holiday with your own people, save a few cards from Next year for a call that evening.
Ways to use Thanksgiving questions
Back, then forward
Spend the first half of the evening on This year and the second on Next year. Save the best answers with the heart and read them together next November.
Three thanks each
Take turns drawing from Grateful for until each of you has answered three cards. It is a gentle way to say things that usually go unsaid.
The leftovers walk
On Friday, take a plate of leftovers for later and a long walk now. Draw from Traditions as you go and plan the ritual you would like to start.
Small tips for the long weekend
- Ask a follow-up before moving on. “What did that taste like?” turns a short answer into a story.
- Mix in At the table when the mood needs something light.
- If an answer is a lovely surprise, tap the heart so it is still there next year.
All 100 thanksgiving questions for couples by category
The complete list, grouped by category. The cards above draw from the same list, so you can read ahead here and play there.
Grateful for
The people, comforts and small moments you are glad to have this year.
- What’s one small, ordinary thing about our days together that you’re grateful for?
- Which person outside the two of us made your year better, and do they know it?
- Which small comfort from this year would you thank me for, if you had to pick one?
- Which simple comfort at home would you miss most if it disappeared tomorrow?
- Which new routine from this year would you keep for good?
- Who taught you something as a kid that you still use every week?
- What part of your daily routine makes you feel lucky, even on a dull day?
- Which friend deserves a thank-you note from you this weekend?
Show all 20 in Grateful forShow fewer
- What’s one thing about where we live that you’d never want to trade?
- When did someone’s small kindness catch you by surprise this year?
- What’s a tough moment that turned out to have a good side later?
- Which of your own qualities are you most thankful for right now?
- What’s something about me you appreciated more this year than before?
- If you could thank a stranger who helped you this year, who would it be?
- What meal, song or place always makes you feel at home?
- If we spend Thanksgiving in different places, what about us would you tell the people at your table?
- What did you take for granted as a kid that you appreciate now?
- Which of our inside jokes are you most glad exists?
- What lesson from this year are you glad you learned, even the hard way?
- If you wrote one line of thanks to your younger self, what would it say?
At the table
Favorite dishes, pie opinions, leftovers and the menu you would cook together.
- Which Thanksgiving dish could you happily eat as leftovers for a whole week?
- Stuffing, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes: which side gets the most room on your plate?
- What’s the best sandwich you’ve ever built from the day-after leftovers?
- Which dish from your childhood table would you love to taste again this year?
- If we cooked the whole feast for just the two of us, what would be on the menu?
- Pumpkin, pecan or apple pie? And does it need whipped cream?
- Which kitchen job do you secretly enjoy most: chopping, stirring or tasting?
- What’s one recipe you’d like to learn from someone in your family?
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- What’s the funniest holiday kitchen mishap you’ve ever seen?
- Which side dish deserves far more fame than it gets?
- If our Thanksgiving table had a theme, what would it be?
- Describe your ideal plate, from the first spoonful to the last bite.
- Cranberry sauce from a can or homemade, and why?
- If we started our own family cookbook, which recipe goes on page one?
- What food smell tells you instantly that the holidays are here?
- If we skipped turkey entirely, what should be our main dish instead?
- What’s the most unusual dish you’ve ever seen at a holiday table?
- Who in your life makes the dish everyone waits all year for?
- How do you like to spend the hour after a big meal?
- If any famous cook could join us for dinner, who would you invite?
Traditions
The rituals you grew up with and the new ones you could start as two.
- Which Thanksgiving tradition from your childhood do you hope never changes?
- What new Thanksgiving custom would you love us to begin together?
- Parade, football, a long walk or a movie marathon: what belongs in your perfect Thanksgiving Day?
- What family tradition seemed strange to you until you understood it?
- If we invented a silly tradition just for us, what would it be?
- How did your family spend the morning before the big meal?
- Which holiday game or activity do you remember from when you were little?
- What tradition from another family or culture would you love to borrow?
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- A big crowded table or a small quiet one: which feels more like the holiday to you?
- What would a Friendsgiving hosted by the two of us look like?
- Which tradition did you leave behind as you grew up, and do you miss it?
- What’s your favorite way to spend the long weekend once the feast is over?
- Should Thanksgiving weekend be for decorating, resting or getting outside?
- What small ritual would make the day feel like ours, wherever we are?
- Who in your family keeps the traditions going, and how do they do it?
- If we spend the holiday apart, what could we both do at the same moment?
- What photo should we take every Thanksgiving from now on?
- Which of our traditions do you think our future selves will laugh about?
- What’s one thing you’d add to the day to make it feel more like you?
- How would you describe your family’s Thanksgiving to someone who has never seen one?
This year
Looking back on the months behind you: highlights, surprises and lessons.
- Which moment from this year belongs on the first page of our photo album?
- Which day this year felt like the best version of us?
- What’s something new you tried this year that surprised you?
- Which month of this year went by the fastest for you?
- What did you do this year that you’re proud of, even if nobody noticed?
- Which trip or outing from this year would you happily repeat next month?
- What did we laugh about most this year?
- What’s one thing you learned about me in the last twelve months?
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- What did you change your mind about this year?
- Which song will always sound like this year to you?
- Who did you get to know better this year?
- What’s a meal from this year you still think about?
- If you gave this year a nickname, what would it be?
- What habit did you start this year that you want to keep?
- Which ordinary weekend this year turned out to be secretly great?
- When did you feel really proud of me this year?
- What were you nervous about this year that went better than expected?
- Which photo on your phone from this year makes you smile the most?
- What changed about our home this year, even in a small way?
- How did we stay close this year on the busy or faraway days?
Next year
Plans, hopes and small adventures for the year before the next feast.
- What’s one thing you’d love us to do together before next Thanksgiving?
- Which place should we visit together in the coming year?
- What’s a skill you’d like to pick up next year?
- What new tradition should we try next November?
- Which friend or relative would you like to see more of next year?
- Name one thing to add to next year and one thing to leave out.
- If we hosted next Thanksgiving at our place, who would be at the table?
- What small thing could we do together every single day next year?
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- What would make next year feel like a good year for you?
- Which dish do you want to master before next Thanksgiving?
- What’s a little adventure for next year that costs almost nothing?
- What’s one thing you hope stays exactly the same next year?
- Where do you picture us spending next Thanksgiving?
- What would you like to say yes to more often in the year ahead?
- Which project around the house should we finally finish next year?
- If we’re in different places next Thanksgiving, how should we share the day from afar?
- What’s something you’d like to get better at just for yourself?
- Which season of next year are you looking forward to most, and why?
- What from this weekend should we carry with us into the new year?
- What do you hope we’ll be grateful for when we sit down next Thanksgiving?
Frequently asked questions
How many Thanksgiving questions for couples are there?
There are 100 questions, 20 in each of five categories: grateful for, at the table, traditions, this year, and next year. The cards and the list on this page use the same set.
Should we play during the meal or after it?
Either works. At the table and Traditions are easy to pass between bites, while This year and Next year suit the slow hour after dessert, when nobody is in a hurry to get up.
Can we play if we spend Thanksgiving apart?
Yes. A few cards are written for couples in different places. Read them over a call before or after your meals, or try our long distance games on two phones.
Can family or friends at the table join in?
Many cards work for a whole table, especially At the table and Traditions. Skip the ones about the two of you, or keep those for later when it is just you.