Filling Your Home with a Spirit of Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is just under three weeks away.  Whether you're hosting a Thanksgiving dinner, planning to entertain friends, or hoping to extend the season of thankfulness onto the little ones in your life, here are some simple, yet beautiful, ways to add the spirit of gratitude into your home.

 <Click on each image for directions and to link you to its original website.>


[1]  Thankfulness Tree

Idea: If you don't have access to sticks or twigs, you could place a paper cutout tree trunk on a wall in your home and allow children and adults to write things they're thankful for onto leaves (either real or paper cutouts) and place them onto the tree.  Another variation could be to create a turkey and write things you're thankful for onto feathers (paper feathers would probably work best) and place them onto the turkey.  A "grateful chain" idea is also available <here>.  The possibilities are really endless on this one.


[2]  Corn Kernel Centerpiece

Idea: Give each person at your dinner table three (or more) kernels of corn on their dinner plate each night...starting now and leading up to Thanksgiving...and take turns share three things you're thankful for from the day, before starting your mealtime.  Then add your kernels to the centerpiece.  Instead of corn, you could substitute acorns or cranberries, too.


[3]  "Give Thanks" Centerpiece

Idea: The idea of placing letters on toothpicks and adding them to a centerpiece is so cute.  These toothpick letters could also be placed on a cake or cupcakes, to spell out the different Thanksgiving dinner entrees (ex. "baked corn" toothpick letters placed in the baked corn casserole), and so on.  You might also substitute your family's last name into the centerpiece for your extended family gathering or use some other "thankful" words or phrases like grateful, Happy Thanksgiving, blessings, family, gifts from the Lord, etc.


[4]  Table Setting

Idea: Prepare these for your Thanksgiving dinner or consider using them at your dinner table for the week(s) leading up to Thanksgiving.  If your kids are little, encourage them to draw a picture (instead of words) to capture their heart of gratitude.  Cutting these words or pictures out and adding them to your "thankfulness tree" (see example above) could kill two birds with one stone...so to speak.


[5]  "Give Thanks" Decoration

Idea: Get your kids involved in this one.  Even if your children are young, use a marker to write the letter onto each fruit before having your kids push the cloves into the fruit.  Pears, oranges, apples, etc. could be used.  If you want to keep them for years to come, purchase artificial fruit.


[6] Place Mat & Pilgrim Hat Crayon Holder

Click <here> to access instructions and to download the place mat template.




[7]  Countdown to Thanksgiving

Idea: If creating a dozen (or more) hand-print turkeys seems like a daunting task, consider gather leaves from outside and numbering them.  Your kids might enjoy cutting out paper apples or paper leaves, etc. with some adult supervision.  :)


[8]  Thanksgiving Clothespin Wreath



Please share other ideas you have of ways you and your family help to fill your home with a spirit of thankfulness in the month of November.