I know that we are all starting our fast so that we are good and hungry for that grand Thanksgiving feast, but let’s all pause for a minute and remember that we should be giving thanks at this time of year and reflecting on all that we are grateful for. Here are a few ideas of how you can share your “thanks” this year.

The Thankful Tree

We have this great little tree that we actually use for a Halloween tree, Thanksgiving tree, and Christmas tree. Around Thanksgiving we get the kids together (this in and of itself is a big feat) then we have them write down what they are thankful for. Usually we do this every Monday night for the month of November but I must confess that this year November has been a crazy month for us and so we are just getting around to offering up our thanks on our Thankful Tree. Just take little pieces of colored paper and write down what you are grateful for. Tie a little string or ribbon around it and place it on the tree. It is really fun to see what the kids come up with.

So far the tags on the tree include…

family, mother, father, grass, trees, neighbors, grass (again), fun, police, electricity, nature, houses, phones, neighbors (again), shirts and shoes.

The kids love to find their tags and see what the others have written.

Here is another fun and similar idea from our friends at Young House Love. (we don’t know them really but we like to think that we do, they are super cool)

The Thankful Jar

An Act of Service
Finally I think one of the best ways to give thanks is to give back. There are so many local charities that serve those most in need. Take some time and go do some random act of kindness whether it be for a neighbor, family member, close friend or complete stranger. Maybe this can be something you do with your family every Saturday for the month of November or maybe just once before the month is over.

If you have any other fun ideas we would love to hear from you!

Posted by Greg