As a holiday of thanks, it only makes sense to take time to give thanks. There are many ways to share and show gratitude. Here are a few ways you can share gratitude with family or friends this Thanksgiving.
Gratitude Over Dinner
All it takes is one person to spearhead gratitudes over dinner. “I’d love to share my gratitudes for this past year with you all.” Or “Would anyone like to share what they are grateful for this year?”
While 2021 has been a challenging year for many, sharing gratitudes aloud can be beneficial in seeing the positive side of things. Sharing gratitude can increase psychological well-being.
Written Gratitude Together
Find index cards, note cards or cut small pieces of paper. Grab a large jar, bowl of vase. Place these out on a table with a pen or marker. Invite guests to write down their gratitude and place it in the jar. At dinner or after dinner, guests can take turn pulling one gratitude from the jar and reading it aloud. They likely won’t pick their own which makes for a great connection to learning about what others are grateful for.
Written Thanks to the Host and Fellow Guests
As the art and practice of hand written thanks diminishes more each year, this year could be an excellent opportunity for you to share written thanks in a card or letter after Thanksgiving. Write thanks to the host and/or fellow guests. You can support the Post Office with a snail mail letter. Or if you are traveling and will be with the hosts and fellow guests for extended days, you have the option to write the card and hand deliver.
If you are curious if you know as much about Thanksgiving as you might think you do, check out the Thanksgiving Trivia we put together.
Photo Credit: Top Photo by Rosie Kerr