For me, Thanksgiving couldn’t fall at a more perfect time. It’s just after the “give me, give me” of Halloween and right before the “I hope I get” of Christmas. It’s the perfect time to stop, teach your kids, and truly make gratitude the center of the entire holiday season.
But, whether you’re celebrating Thanksgiving, or just seeking more peace in your life, this project is perfect for any season of your life. There’s a power in Gratitude. More than almost anything else, it seems that Gratitude can bring more happiness and peace quickly and easily. When I’m down, I work on being grateful and almost magically I start to feel better. If my kids are fighting, I have them stop and tell 3 things about the other person that they’re grateful for. By the time they’re done, they’re at least “better” friends than when they started.
Knowing the power of gratitude, each year I look for ways to make Thanksgiving meaningful at our house. With kids ranging from 6 months to 9 years, my ideas have to fit a whole bunch of personalities and ages. I’m excited about my plan for this year.
As a family we’re making a Gratitude Chain. We started on November 1st and will continue at least through Thanksgiving, if not longer. It’s really the simple paper chain that we all made in Kindergarten with one simple twist: Each time we add a link, we write down what we’re grateful for and tell each other why. We try to add a link at each meal. Besides that, we’re each free to add as many links as we want each day. Our goal: To fill the entire house with gratitude links. We’ll let you know how we do!
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SUCH a good idea. Thanksgiving is a holiday that gets way too little attention.