While we each take time to express gratitude on Thanksgiving this is an important thing to continue to do throughout the year. As a family you may want to take the time to stress the importance of gratitude throughout the holiday season. This may help your children cope with the many pressures of commercialism that your children deal with on a regular basis. Here are five ideas for extending gratitude through the holidays.
1) You can have a gratitude jar. Each day each family member will write down what they were grateful for that day. On Christmas Eve you may want to pass around the jar and read the blessings that they are each grateful for. This can make a very meaningful Christmas Eve.
2) You may decide to make a new gratitude ornament each week. This could be a chain as well. On the back of the ornament or on each link of the chain list the date and the one thing that you are each grateful for. These may be looked at on Christmas Eve or you may review them as you put up the tree next year.
3) You may challenge your family to write one thank you card to a different person each week leading up to Christmas. Obvious choices may be teachers, grandparents or brothers and sisters. You may be surprised at who your children are grateful for. Bake cookies or buy a little treat to accompany each card.
4) Be sure to express your gratitude to your children consistently through this time period. It will make a big difference in their attitudes to know that you are grateful to have them be part of the family.
5) Emphasize the need to give thanks while you pray. You can encourage your children to focus more on the things that they are thankful for as they pray. You may discuss specific things with your child right before they pray. (This is especially true with young children.
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