10 Ways to Celebrate Gratitude In Your Happy Home

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Thanksgiving.

Have you heard of it??

It’s that non-revenue holiday secretly sandwiched between those big money-makers, Halloween and Christmas.

Even local stores don’t know about Thanksgiving. I went to get some Thanksgiving craft supplies the week before Halloween (I was trying to plan ahead – something that RARELY happens), but let me tell you – there weren’t any Thanksgiving craft supplies to be found. Everything had gone Christmas! And as I saw all those twinkling Christmas trees and ornaments and stocking stuffers filling the aisles, my pulse started to race and I broke out in a cold sweat.

A close friend of mine commented the other day that she was feeling overwhelmed because the mall by her house had put up their giant Christmas reindeer decorations outside the entrance. She said, “As soon as those reindeer go up I immediately feel behind on Christmas planning.”

I had to laugh in agreement. Don’t get me wrong – I am OBSESSED with Christmas. I love the magic of it all and trust me, there will be thousands of Happy Home ideas for you in December. But, oh, my heart just longs to simply enjoy the Fall a little bit longer. I want to treasure this season of celebrating our country’s beautiful heritage before I’m thrust into the frantic, hurried pace of Christmas shopping and entertaining.

Most of all, I love that the Thanksgiving holiday is a time to reflect on what we can give rather than what we can get.

Teaching our children to be grateful is one of the most excellent things God calls us to as parents. Thankful hearts bicker less, need less, and whine less. Thankful hearts are more content, more giving, and more joyful. Gratitude keeps us focused on the heavenly things and the heavenly Father who gives so generously.

I hope you’ll use some of the ideas below to encourage your Happy Homes toward Thanksgiving!

10 Ways to Celebrate Gratitude In Your Happy Home

1. Write a Bible verse about being thankful on your family’s mirror in the bathroom using a dry-erase marker.

2. Walk around the neighborhood and write Bible verses about thanksgiving on the sidewalk using chalk. Or write “We are thankful for you, Neighbor!” on someone’s walkway.

3. Write thanksgiving-themed Bible verses on homemade cards. Give the cards to people you meet while running errands – the grocery store cashier, the bank teller (my little Happy Buddy and I LOVE sending treasures through those containers at the bank drive-thru. What a surprise!), the coffee shop employee, etc.

4. Make up songs using thanksgiving Bible verses as the lyrics. Call someone and have your kids perform their uplifting tune.

5. Write Scripture verses about gratitude on the other side of everyone’s place card at your family’s Thanksgiving celebration. Take turns reading them aloud.

6. Let your children say grace before a meal.

7. Listen to Thanksgiving-themed Adventures in Odyssey while you’re out and about. Click here to download some.

8. Ding Dong Ditch a bag of Thanksgiving groceries to a family you know that’s in need.

9. Play Scripture Scramble! Write out Psalm 118:1 on construction paper, cut out each word, and then scramble the pieces. Let your kids race to put the verse in order!

10. Make a Thanksgiving craft like this Thankful Jar I found over at Parents. Or a Thanksgiving Advent Calendar like the one our family is doing.