Each year during November, we like to spend a little extra time focusing on what we’re thankful for. There are many ways we do this.
Some years we decorate a posterboard with Thanksgiving-themed stickers and colored markers. Then each time someone thinks of something they’re thankful for, they are allowed to write it on the poster. It’s fun to roll these up after Thanksgiving and save them to look back on. I put the year on it so we can remember.
Also, at family Thanksgiving dinners, I like to have decorated pages out for the whole family to do something similar. These are usually done on 12×12 scrapbook pages, decorated (again) with Thanksgiving scrapbook embellishments.
Here are a couple of samples from 2002 and 2004:
Not only is this a fun way to remember what we were thankful for, but it includes handwritten notes from various family members (grandparents, cousins, etc.), and shows the progression of the kids as they mature.
Example: my nephew Cade was thankful for his dog, Zilla, in 2002. He was 9 years old. This year he is 16, and will most likely be thankful for something different!
After Thanksgiving (and when I’m actually current on scrapbooks!) I put these pages in the books right after the photos of our get-togethers.
Since we are now officially in the digital age, I have an idea that I may try this year: using 8 1/2 x 11 paper for the family lists, scanning them into my computer, and then uploading them to a digital photo site like Walmart.com or Shutterfly. Then, when ordering their digital photo albums, these ‘thankful pages’ can be uploaded as a photo and included in the book! Viola!
How does your family remember what they are thankful for?
What a neat idea!