Making A Family Gratitude Journal {A Simple Thanksgiving Tradition}

Throughout history, many cultures have held celebrations of thanksgiving to recognize their gratitude for what they have. Most often, traditional thanksgiving celebrations have been held during harvest time in the fall.

In the United States of America, our Thanksgiving has evolved into the start of the Christmas shopping season.

You’ve probably heard jokes about how we give thanks for what we have and then race to the stores to buy more things the very next day. There is certainly some truth to that. I am still working on stepping out of such a mindset myself, and you may be, too.

I believe we would all benefit greatly from stepping back and taking time to genuinely reflect on all that we have to be grateful for, and surely we would realize that our lives are overflowing with abundance in many ways.

Image by abbybatchelder

Cultivating a Grateful Heart

Each and every day, we as mothers tend the soil and sow deep roots in the hearts of our children. From teaching our children essential life skills to nurturing a love for God and for His Kingdom, we are more influential than we often realize.

Traditions are a great way to plant seeds in the hearts of our children. Traditions are one of the beautiful things about a family. We anticipate certain things year after year and we build memories around them. We grow together to discover one day just how cherished these memories become.

I want to share with you a new Thanksgiving tradition in our home. We have started a “journal of gratitude” in which we will write each Thanksgiving.

It is my hope that this tradition will foster a heart of gratitude in each of my children and will help my family see the blessings and the Lord’s provision over the years.

Image by Walt Stoneburner

Starting Your Own Gratitude Journal

It is quite simple and can be customized to fit your own unique family dynamic. All you need is a journal and pen. It can be anything from a fancy, leather-bound journal to a simple lined notebook.

Each year around Thanksgiving time, either on Thanksgiving Day or shortly before or after, gather the family and share with one another the things for which you are thankful. Children who are old enough to write can add to the journal in their own handwriting. Younger children can even draw pictures.

Last year, we made a “Thanksgiving Tree” in which we wrote down on cut out leaves things for which we were thankful and then hung them from branches in a vase. I kept some of the leaves and tucked them into our Thanksgiving journal.

Image by edenpictures

Recording God’s Blessings

I got this idea for a gratitude journal from my aunt and uncle who did this with their children when they were young. I recently asked my aunt for more details about keeping this tradition going.

She said she would have liked to have started it the year she and my uncle married, but she is glad she started it when her girls were still young and is now reaping the reward of looking back over this family treasure.

“Our tradition is that each family member is to write five things they are thankful for. It has ranged from deep theology to “seeds” and “elephants.” I let the girls write what they wanted, so it says a lot about what was going on in their lives at the time. I love that it is a record of God’s blessings!”

This will only be our second year doing this in my household, but I can only imagine being able to look back over the years and see a “record of God’s blessings.”

I am a big fan of journaling. I’ve had many personal journals over the years, some set aside as “prayer journals,” and when I look back through these, I can see so clearly how the Lord has worked in my life, answering prayer and doing the impossible.

I have journals for each of my children, and when I look back through these, I have a renewed sense of gratitude for these blessings in my life. I can see that this Thanksgiving journal will also hold many treasures to be found years later and even passed on to future generations.

I am also hopeful that this simple act of giving thanks in this way will foster an even deeper appreciation for our blessings all year long.

Do you have holiday traditions that bring the focus in your home back to a heart of gratitude?