Each November some post their reasons for thanksgiving on Facebook; some on Instagram. Some write on scrapbook paper leaves and hang them from shabby-chic branches and display in fabulous painted mason jar vases. (Oh Pinterest, there you go again...)
I love all of the beautiful displays that come with the Thanksgiving holiday, but my favorite Thanksgiving displays are always things that can be done as families. Because of that, I was leaning towards making a Thankful Tree and displaying it in our family room last November. It’s such a great idea! I wanted to do those branches. I really did. I even made the kids hold my bag while we looked for branches in the yard. Would you believe that I didn’t find enough twiggy branches to make a Thankful Tree? I even poked around across the street and at the park. Ridiculous.
The lack of sticks led me to morphing my Pastor Appreciation Gift idea into our family Thanksgiving activity. I used leftover decorator rocks I got at my local Dollar Tree, a tray, and some nice fall-ish candles. Once I arranged them, I added them to our dining table. Each night in November, we took turns grabbing a rock, a Sharpie, and writing something for which we are thankful.
Some were serious and thoughtful. Sometimes were fun and silly. Sometimes we discussed and sometimes we just laughed. The point was that we were highlighting our blessings together around the dinner table. That’s a reason to give thanks in itself! Don’t get me wrong, we should always living in a constant state of thanksgiving, but adding extra emphasis is certainly a good thing.
