As Thanksgiving approaches, our hearts open with gratitude and seek for a way to express it.  Here are some ideas to incorporate into family Thanksgiving traditions:

• Thankfulness Tree – Find a small tree branch, place it in a vase or pot. Cut out leaves. Write on each leaf something for which you are thankful.
• Thankfulness Turkey – Draw the body of a turkey and add feathers with things each person is thankful for. Invite guests to add theirs.
• Thank you notes – Send thank you notes to the people who help you throughout the year…librarian, teacher, pastor, mailman, doctors, garbage collectors, checkout clerk at the grocery, etc. Let kids help you brainstorm who to include.
• Family Thanksgiving Journal – Grab a blank notebook. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Write down everyone’s thanks for this year. Next year, do the same so that over time you build a treasured family book of thanks as well as a sort of family history. Consider printing a family picture to add to it.
• Go for a walk or bike ride together. Along the way notice things for which you can give thanks. You can gather things, take them home and glue them to a paper plate (with the center cut out) to make wreaths.
• Have the kids help with meal prep. They are never too little to help stir or pour things together. They can set the table in a special way for guests.
• Participate in your church’s food pantry or Thanksgiving food baskets. Let the kids go shopping with you and choose items to include. If they are older, you can give them a certain amount of money to spend and let them figure out the best way to use it.

A special thanks to Karen, who shared these ideas MOPS years ago. She’s the type of person you meet and think to yourself, “OH!  Would she be my friend?!?”