Thanksgiving is about food, family, and fun, but sometimes we forget that it’s also about being grateful for our blessings. Thanksgiving’s true meaning is in its title: a time to give thanks. Here are three tips to help you and your family remember the meaning of Thanksgiving and to be grateful.
Create a Thankful Poster
There are many different ways to do this. You can create a poster, a tree, or just notes, but no matter how you go about it, this craft is guaranteed to help your family be grateful. You can start by drawing a tree onto a poster board and cutting leaves out of construction paper. Then, have everyone in your family write down five things they are thankful for onto five leaves each. Using tape, have each family member stick their leaves onto the tree and then hang the poster board up in the dining room. Before you have Thanksgiving dinner (or lunch), read everyone’s reasons to be thankful aloud. You could also make a turkey instead of tree, cutting out feathers instead of leaves. The possibilities are endless.
Send Notes of Thanks
Gratitude is not only important, but it’s also contagious. What better way to spread the feeling of gratitude than by sending out thanks to your friends and family? Gather the family around the table and spread out some stationary, or use construction paper to make your own. If you have little ones, you can turn this into more of an art project and use glitter, stickers, glue, and scissors. Have everyone write a short note of thanks to someone who has helped him or her over the last year. Kids can write to teachers, librarians, public servants, postmen, etc. While they write and decorate, explain why showing gratitude is important. Make sure they include why they appreciate having these people in their lives. Then, you can either hand deliver or mail the notes out to their recipients. This is a great way to spread the holiday feeling and teach your family about gratitude.
Create a Blessing Tablecloth
What better way to remind you and your family members to be grateful than to see your blessings on the Thanksgiving table while you eat? This is a tradition the entire family can participate in and it can also be used over and over, year after year. You’ll need to purchase a white or lightly colored tablecloth and permanent markers. Every year on Thanksgiving, have each family member write something they are grateful for onto the tablecloth. Spread the tablecloth out before you serve the Thanksgiving meal to remind you of your blessings from the years before. Repeat every Thanksgiving, be thankful, and enjoy!
