In the rush to Christmas, sometimes the Thanksgiving holiday gets overlooked. I love Thanksgiving, and think it is about so much more than stuffing our bellies and shopping for Black Friday deals. Teaching kids about gratitude, and practicing an attitude of thankfulness ourselves is key to living a life of peace and contentment. The more thankful I am for my life, the better I am at living it. For the second year in a row we’ve created a very simple Thankful Tree for the month of November to help us focus on gratitude. Read on to find out how we make it as well as to find ideas for Thankful Traditions from the other Festive Family bloggers. Don’t forget to enter the big holiday gift guide giveaway at the end of this post.
In our entryway hangs a mirror framed in barnwood made by a dear friend. I use this mirror to display Christmas cards come December, but for November it is the home of our Thankful Tree.
Our tree is super simple and easy to make. All you need is a brown paper grocery bag, colored construction paper or cardstock, scissors, a marker, and masking tape.
A tree like our’s could easily be mounted straight on the wall, on a window, or on your own mirror. I like having it on the mirror because we see it every time we leave or enter the house. When I look in the mirror and want to think about what I don’t like in my reflection instead I’m met with a reminder of all I’m thankful for. Instant gratitude check.
Cut out a basic tree shape from your paper bag. Don’t worry about the neatness of your shape because it will be covered up for the most part. After you cut it up, crinkle it up in to a ball. Unfold and do it a couple of times until it looks good and wrinkled to resemble bark. Use the masking tape to adhere it to your surface.
Cut out leaf shapes in your desired colors. Write down things you are thankful for on each leaf and then sit with your family and talk about what they are thankful for. If your kids are old enough to write they can do it themselves. Younger kids can color their leaves to represent their thankful list.
Tape the leaves on to your tree, and leave a little pile of them near it so you can add to it daily in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Enjoy the daily reminder of all you have to be thankful for in this world.
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I’ve made a couple of Thanksgiving free printables in the past you can find here and here. Here are some easy ideas to entertain kids during Thanksgiving dinner. What is your favorite thankful tradition?
Thankful Traditions from the Festive Family Bloggers:
Thanks Cards as Place Settings from La Cite’ des Vents
A Thankful Display from Hand Made Kids Art
Lego Thanksgiving Activities from Gypsy Road School
365 Days of Thanksgiving from Lemon Lime Adventures
Simple Ways to Teach Gratitude and Thankfulness Daily from A Mother Far From Home
20+ Family Gratitude Activities from Bits of Positivity
Creative Ways to Encourage Gratitude from P is for Preschooler
Cooking with Kids on Thanksgiving from Peace But Not Quiet
Thanksgiving Activities to Encourage Gratitude from Are We There Yet?
Thanksgiving Gratitude Photo Wreath from Totschooling
Thanksgiving Gratitude Activity from Sugar Aunts
Free Printable for Teaching Kids Thankfulness from Happy and Blessed Home
Family Thankfulness Jar from The Realistic Mama
Follow Becca Eby ~ Bare Feet on the Dashboard’s board Festive Family Holiday on Pinterest.Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway. If you are on a mobile device and have trouble seeing the giveaway form, switch to classic mode or click this link to view the form. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thankful trees are one of my favorite traditions! We still have ours hanging up from last year because my daughter refuses to see it taken down – and honestly it’s a great reminder of all we have to be grateful for!
I love that! Keeping it up all year is a great idea.