Give Thanks!
Thanksgiving is coming, and it’s time to give thanks! Many of us will sit around the dinner table on the holiday and share our “thankfuls.” Gratitude is a wonderful tradition for families and friends to share.
14 creative ways for your family and guests to express gratitude this Thanksgiving:
1. Ask each Thanksgiving guest to write something they are thankful for on a small card and place it in a box. Draw cards one by one and let guests and family members guess who authored each gratitude.
2. Invite family members and guests to share something for which they are thankful as they take their seats at the table one at a time.
3. Have each person describe what s/he is thankful for during the meal. Start with the youngest person in attendance and work your way to the oldest.
4. Ask the group to vote on one thing the entire group is most grateful for as a whole. Take suggestions, then pick a winner by show of hands.
5. Have everyone guess what each member might be most grateful for. Then ask every person to share their biggest gratitude and see how the guesses match up!
6. Before or after the meal, have every person draw a picture that represents what s/he is most grateful for. Display the pictures for everyone to view and discuss.
7. Ask each person to say what s/he is most grateful for in exchange for a serving of turkey.
8. Invite guests to think back and share what they were most grateful for during Thanksgiving dinners past. See how times change (or don’t change).
9. Ask each family member or guest to say something they are grateful for about the guest sitting immediately to their right. Go around the table until everyone has had a turn.
10. Ask each interested guest to write a story about what it means to feel gratitude. Assign judges to read the stories and award a prize for the best one.
11. Have family members and guests act out their gratitudes in a game of charades.
12. Have each person list everything under the sun s/he can find to be grateful for. See how the lists compare and which list is most impressive.
13. Invite each person to choose a song that best embodies their gratitude. Play each song for the group.
14. Ask guests to list their gratitudes in advance. Seat guests who share similar gratitudes together and encourage them to discuss.
How ever you choose to express your gratitude this holiday, join in and be grateful. It’s a wonderful way to spend time together and remind yourselves why you go to all the trouble to gather together and share the Thanksgiving festivities.