Our Tradition: Expressing Thanks

This is part of the series The Gifts Of The Holidays: Celebrating Thanksgiving And Christmas. Read more from the series!

One of the character traits we are trying to instill in our children is gratefulness.

And so we have developed several traditions that help to foster this.

The Gifts Of Thanksgiving

This is a habit we strive for all year long, but it seems especially powerful around Thanksgiving time.

It’s the habit of expressing our thanks.

For us, it’s simple. When we are seated at the table for our Thanksgiving meal, we go around the room, allowing each person the chance to share what they are thankful for, especially over the past year.

We also do this on a more immediate basis in our family devotions regularly. We each share something we are thankful for from the day or the last week.

We have five young kids. It gets pretty entertaining as they come up with things that they are thankful for, because once they share the basics, such as family, food, our home, and friends, we encourage them to get more creative.

Some of the answers over the years have included their hamsters, our dog, the shower, and our coffee table.

By the time we are finished, we’ve smiled and laughed a lot, and Heather and I usually have to wipe away a tear or two.

My kids have taught me a few important things about being thankful, even as I have tried to teach them how to be thankful for everything.

Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: 

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

That’s an attitude that lends itself well to building a lasting family tradition.

Does your family share what you’re thankful for? Do you do it more often than once a year, at Thanksgiving? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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6 thoughts on “Our Tradition: Expressing Thanks”

  1. We use a table cloth every year to help express our thanks. Each year we trace our handprints on the tablecloth, and we write five things that we’re thankful for – one in each finger. Our current tablecloth is just about full, so we’ll be starting a new one next year. It’s neat to look back at previous years’ handprints to see family members who are no longer with us and to remember things we’ve been thankful for in the past.

  2. For our Thanksgivings, my parents and family do not share what we are thankful for. We just eat our dinner and fellowship.

    My wife’s family will normally share things they are thankful for.

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