What are you thankful for today?
A thankful tree is a great way to decorate for Thanksgiving and an interactive activity that lasts the whole month. Over the years we have had several different thankful trees. Here’s a picture of the start of one. We usually leave it up until we put up the Christmas tree. Anyone that comes into the house in November gets asked to add a leaf to the tree. Here are 4 easy steps to make your own thankful tree.
1. Gather a base for your tree
It can be sticks, a tree branch, or even a few branches from your artificial Christmas tree. Put them in a jar or container. You might need to rubberband the base or add in some rocks for weight.
2. Get some leaves
You can order colored paper leaves, buy them at the craft store, cut them out of construction paper, or gather fresh ones in your yard. Punch holes in them and add some string for hanging. I have shared a link below.
3. Select pens
Your pen selection will be determined by what kind of leaves you choose to use. Test it out by writing what you are thankful for. I typically use a dark thin marker or a gold one. Feel free to write 2 Minutes Together or Tailor Joy! We are thankful for you, too!
4. Invite your friends and family to add a leaf to your tree
Anytime in the month of November, invite guests to add leaves to your tree, not just on Thanksgiving day. It’s a conversation starter for sure! If you do not have many guests, you can write one thankful leaf a day for the month.
More tips:
Here’s a sample of leaves you could buy that already have holes punched in them. You can also use them as place cards on your Thanksgiving table! Surprise your guests by having their names on your thankful tree before they arrive, too.
You can even ask some guests to put a thankful tree together while others are cooking the Thanksgiving meal. A modified version for kids would be to draw a tree on paper and glue on some leaves. Or draw it on a fabric tablecloth and add thankful leaves to it each year.
Your thankful tree does not have to look like mine nor look the same year to year. It’s just a visual reminder of all our many blessings! Give thanks with a grateful heart this Thanksgiving and make a thankful tree in 4 steps.
Table Talk: What are you thankful for this year? What color leaves do you want on your thankful tree this year?