THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving toast examples

A Thanksgiving toast takes a minute or less. Thank whoever cooked and say one thing from this year that only your family would get. Then raise your glass while the food is still hot.

A chatbot can write a Thanksgiving toast in seconds. It doesn't know who drove six hours to be here or whose stuffing recipe this is, and it won't be the one standing up at the table. The toasts below are made up, so keep their shape and fill in your own family. First comes a template. Then come seven toasts: the host's, a short one, a funny one, one for someone who died this year, one for Friendsgiving, a guest's and a grandparent's. After those: when to give it, how long to talk, what to leave out, a hard year and how to rehearse it.

A Thanksgiving toast template

Examples 1, 4, 5 and 7 below follow all five beats. Examples 2 and 3 skip beat 3. Example 6 is a guest's version, so it thanks the hosts for having you and skips beat 3 too. Fill in the blanks, then cut anything you wouldn't say with your grandmother listening.

Get everyone's attention and thank whoever cooked: "Before we eat, I want to say a few words. Thank you to ___ for ___."
Welcome everyone, and name anyone new or anyone who came a long way: "Thank you all for coming, especially ___, who ___."
Name who's missing, if your family would want that, like someone who couldn't come or someone who died: "We miss ___ today."
Say one thing from this year you're grateful for, and make it specific: "This year, I'm grateful for ___."
Raise your glass and say the toast last: "Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To ___."

Spend most of your time on beat 4. One moment your family will recognize does more than a list of everything that went well this year.

Seven Thanksgiving toast examples

The names and stories are made up. Each one runs under 150 words, about a minute or less out loud.

1. From the host

Twelve people at two tables pushed together.

Okay, everyone. Before we eat, I'll keep this quick. Thank you to my mom for the pies, and to Luis for getting up at five to put the turkey in.

Thank you all for coming. Especially Nina and Ben, who drove nine hours from Atlanta with two kids and a dog, and still got here before the rolls were done.

We miss Aunt Rosa, who's in Seattle with the new baby this year. She texted this morning to make sure we're using her gravy recipe. We are.

This year, I'm grateful for the week in June when the power went out on our street. We had no lights for four days, and every night someone at this table showed up with dinner and a flashlight.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To all of you.

2. Short and sweet

Under 50 words. It fits a big table, a toast you're asked for on the spot or a family that wants to eat.

Thank you to Grandma for the stuffing, and to all of you for coming. This year we welcomed baby Maya, and for the first time in five years, nobody burned the rolls. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To family.

3. Funny, for a family that teases

Every joke is on the speaker, the food or the dog, so nobody at the table is the punch line.

Okay, everybody. I'll be quick, because the gravy is starting to get a skin on it. Thank you to Mom for cooking everything except the turkey. That part was me, so we'll see.

And thank you all for coming, even though you knew I was doing the turkey this year.

For anyone keeping track, this is my second try. Last year's turkey was still frozen in the middle at two o'clock, and we ate at seven. This year I started thawing it on Saturday. I'm grateful for a family that came back anyway.

Also, thank you to Biscuit for leaving the pie alone this time. Good dog. We put it on top of the fridge.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To a turkey that's cooked all the way through.

4. For a loved one who died this year

The first Thanksgiving without someone. If the loss is recent, ask the person closest to them before dinner whether they'd like it said at the table. Say their name and one small memory that will make the table smile.

Before we eat, I want to say something. Thank you to Aunt Carol for hosting, and to everyone who brought a dish.

Thank you all for coming. I know today is hard for a lot of us.

This is our first Thanksgiving without Dad. For thirty years, he carved the turkey at this table. While he carved, he slipped every one of us a piece of the skin, like we were in on a secret. This morning, my brother Michael asked who was going to carve. Then he picked up the knife, and he handed me a piece of the skin.

I'm grateful for thirty years of that, and for all of you.

Please raise your glasses. To Dad.

5. For Friendsgiving

For friends who have their own Thanksgiving dinner together.

Hi, everyone. Thank you to Jess and Andre for letting nine of us take over their apartment. And to whoever brought three kinds of mac and cheese: no notes.

Some of you couldn't fly home this year, and some of you came here before going home. Either way, I'm glad you're at this table.

We miss Kenji, who's on a night shift at the hospital and asked us to save him a plate.

This year, I'm grateful for the group chat. When I lost my job in May, you sent me four job listings and a lasagna before I'd finished typing the message.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To the group chat.

6. From a guest

Your first Thanksgiving with your partner's family. Ask the host before dinner if you can say a few words, and keep yours shorter than theirs.

Hi, everyone. I'm Sam, and this is my first Thanksgiving with the Hendersons, so thank you for having me. Linda, thank you for this whole table. I've been hearing about your pecan pie since our second date.

When I walked in today, Kate's grandmother handed me an apron and put me on potato duty, so I think that means I'm in. I'm grateful for that, and for Kate.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To Linda and Tom.

7. From a grandparent

From the oldest person at the table, to everyone.

Everyone, sit down for a minute. I'll be quick. Lucy says I always say that, and then I'm not. Thank you to Lucy and Mark for hosting, and to the kids who peeled the potatoes. And thank you to Grandma, who still makes the gravy and won't tell anyone how.

Grandma and I hosted our first Thanksgiving in 1978, in an apartment with four chairs. Nine people came, so half of them ate standing up. Today there are twenty-two of us, and four of you are here for the first time.

We miss Danny, who's in Germany with the Air Force this year. He called this morning to ask what's for dessert.

In 1978, we had four chairs. This year, Mark borrowed eight from the neighbors. I'm grateful we need them.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To all of you.

When to give a Thanksgiving toast

Once everyone is sitting down with something in their glass, and before the food goes around. Water and cider count, so nobody has to sit out the toast. If your family says grace, ask whoever leads it whether the toast should come before or after, so the two don't run together.

The host usually gives it, or whoever cooked. If you'd like to say something at someone else's table, ask the host before dinner.

How long should a Thanksgiving toast be?

A minute or less, since the food is on the table. If several people want to speak, keep each toast short, or save one for dessert. Time yours out loud. If it runs long, cut the welcome to one sentence first.

What to leave out

Politics, and anything you argued about last year.
Jokes about anyone at the table. Joke about yourself, the food or the dog instead.
Comments on anyone's weight, diet, job hunt or love life.
News that belongs to someone else, like a pregnancy or an engagement. Let them tell it.
A long list of thank-yous. Thank the cooks and the people who traveled, and say the rest at the table.
Someone who stayed away on purpose. A toast won't settle it.

If it was a hard year

If your family lost a job, a house or a lot of sleep this year, everyone at the table already knows. Say so in a sentence or two and thank the people who helped. Then go to something good. Skip promises about next year.

This year was hard. Dad was in the hospital for most of March, and a lot of you drove back and forth for weeks so Mom never had to sit there alone. Thank you. Today we're all at one table again, and that's what I'm grateful for.

How to give it

At a big table, stand up so the far end can see you. Wait until it's quiet before you start.
Start before the dishes go around. Once people are passing the potatoes, nobody's listening.
Learn your first line and the toast word for word. Keep the five beats in your head for everything in between. How to memorize a speech has a method.
When you thank someone, look at them.
Say the toast last, with your voice going down at the end, so everyone knows when to drink.
Asked to say something with no warning? Thank the cook, name one thing from this year and raise your glass. Impromptu speaking has more on talking off the cuff.
If your voice breaks, stop and breathe out slowly. The table will wait for you. How to give a eulogy has five steps for getting through it.

Rehearse your Thanksgiving toast with an AI coach in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. In Speak, tap the center and tell the coach you're practicing a Thanksgiving toast for your family. Say it out loud one chunk at a time, like the thank-yous, the story or the toast. A pause of about two seconds ends a take, so end each chunk where you'd stop and look around the table. You hear the take played back, then the coach tells you what to fix and sends you back in.

To hear the whole toast first, open Voice Cam on the home screen and record it, with the camera or audio only. Each recording runs up to a minute, which fits a Thanksgiving toast. As you talk, it shows your volume, pitch and pauses, plus an estimate of your pace in words per minute. Check that your volume holds up to the last word, so the far end of the table hears the toast. Setup is free and includes a short live session with the coach. After that, the app needs Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

Get the app

FAQ

What do you say in a Thanksgiving toast?

Thank whoever cooked and welcome everyone. If someone is missing, say their name. Then say one thing from this year you're grateful for and raise a glass. The template above has a line for each part.

What is a good short Thanksgiving toast?

Thank the cook, name one specific thing from this year and raise your glass. Example 2 does it in under 50 words.

How do you start a Thanksgiving toast?

Stand up, wait for quiet and say, "Before we eat, I want to say a few words." Then thank whoever cooked. For more ways in, see how to start a speech.

Who gives the toast at Thanksgiving?

Usually the host or whoever cooked, but anyone can. If you're a guest, ask the host before dinner.

How do you remember a loved one in a Thanksgiving toast?

Say their name, tell one small memory that will make people smile and raise a glass to them. If the loss is recent, ask the person closest to them before dinner whether they'd like it said at the table. Example 4 does it.

Do you give the toast before or after grace?

Either works. Ask whoever says grace which they'd like, so the two don't run together.

How do you end a Thanksgiving toast?

Ask everyone to raise a glass and say the toast last. Then sit down and pass the food. How to end a speech has more on toasts.

More practice guides

Updated November 3, 2026.