Even if you’re not sitting at the head of the table or hosting Thanksgiving dinner at your house, you should always have a memorable Thanksgiving toast ready just in case you need it. Unanticipated Thanksgiving toasts can ruin your day. You never know when someone might put you on the spot and volunteer you to give an inspirational Thanksgiving toast speech.
The first step of preparing a great Thanksgiving toast is to determine your goal of the toast. What kind of toast do you want to give? Funny? A sentimental holiday message? Here are some Thanksgiving toast ideas. Mix and match these quotes to create a Thanksgiving toast speech that’s right for your audience on Thanksgiving Day.
How To Structure Your Thanksgiving Toasts
- Keep your remarks short and sweet. When you give your speech, you’ll probably have a table full of people in front of you ready to eat dinner. Keep your remarks short. If your toast goes longer than a minute, then it’s probably too self-indulgent.
- Thank everyone. Who cooked what? Who traveled long distances? Who made the decorations? A simple way to recognize everyone is with a thank you. Thank them for things like their decorations, cooking or distances that they’ve traveled to be with you for Thanksgiving dinner.
- End your toast with a great Thanksgiving quote. Pick one of these Thanksgiving quotes that are appropriate for your audience.
Simple Gratitude Toast
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
A simple but easy to memorize Thanksgiving toast speech. Follow up the quote with a special thank you to everyone at the table.
Recent Hardships Toast
“Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.” – Edward Sandford Martin
A great Thanksgiving toast for families that have been through hardships this year, but have handled these difficulties with a positive attitude.
Alcoholic Friends
“Here’s to alcohol, the rose-colored glasses of life.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
This is one of my favorite funny Thanksgiving toasts. It’s an easy toast to memorize and great for a group of friends who enjoy alcohol.
Guests From Out Of Town
“Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with people they only see once a year. And then discover once a year is way too often.”
Make your traveling guests feel special and acknowledge their time and efforts to be at the table.
Religious Family
“Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God and keep us engaged with Him; it will take our attention from ourselves and give the Spirit room in our hearts.” – Andrew Murray
Thanksgiving has special significance for religious families. After the pre-meal prayer, use these humble words for your toast. Then after your toast, thank God and acknowledge him, your family and other dinner guests
Good Food
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf
Here’s a great toast to use if a team of chefs has been slaving over Thanksgiving dinner all day. Compliment the various food items on the table and then thank each chef by their name.
Politics Family
“Patriotism is love of country. But you can’t love your country without loving your countrymen and countrywomen. We don’t always have to agree, but we must empower each other, we must find the common ground, we must build bridges across our differences to pursue the common good.” – Cory Booker
Military Family
“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips and shows itself in deeds.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Sentimental Family
“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” – Henry David Thoreau
Of all of the different Thanksgiving toasts on this page, this quote by Henry David Thoreau might be the most thought-provoking.
Gardening Family
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” – Marcel Proust
Book Worm Family
“Small cheer and great welcome make a merry feast.” – William Shakespeare
Country Music Fans
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson
Oprah Fans
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.” – Oprah Winfrey
JFK
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy
Old Irish Blessing
May your neighbors respect you. Trouble neglect you. The angels protect you. And heaven accept you.
Great Thanksgiving Toasts On Thanksgiving Day!
To all of our American readers, we would like to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving Day! Enjoy your meal and we hope that the Thanksgiving toasts at your dinners and parties are a success. And if you need some suggestions on what to watch after Thanksgiving dinner, then check out this article: What to Watch on Netflix on Thanksgiving Day.
Frank Wilson is a retired teacher with over 30 years of combined experience in the education, small business technology, and real estate business. He now blogs as a hobby and spends most days tinkering with old computers. Wilson is passionate about tech, enjoys fishing, and loves drinking beer.
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