Last year, I started the tradition of creating a Thankfulness Tree. I love this craft because it makes the home look more “Thanksgiving-ish” and creates a huge visual reminder to be thankful. Plus, this project is quite easy even for the non-crafter to do!
One brisk October morning, I headed out my front door on the lookout for sticks. I wanted a bundle of several sticks with tiny, leaf-free branches on them. After a ten minute hunt, I headed back indoors and arranged my sticks in a cute, fall-colored vase. When the boys saw the sticks poking out from the vase, they were delighted that I found a stash of swords for them to fight with. Dashing their swashbuckling dreams, I told them we were going to make a thankfulness tree. With only slightly disappointed looks on their faces, they listened as I explained what we planned to do.
I searched Pinterest for a set of leaf outlines. I printed them off, cut them out, and traced them on fall-colored construction paper. Looking back, I should have just bought a pack of pre-cut and colorful paper leaves from Hobby Lobby. Next year. Then, I punched a hole in each leaf, and tied a string around it. I told my kids that each day they would pick one leaf and tell me what they were thankful for that day.
As Thanksgiving approached, what started out as an ugly, naked tree became a tree full of beautifully colored thankfulness leaves. About once a week, we checked out the leaves and read them aloud. It was a good reminder of what we were grateful for.
Once the holiday was over, I put up the thankfulness tree to make room for Christmas decorations. I couldn’t bring myself to throw away the leaves that contained our grateful thoughts. So I tucked them neatly into a baggie to review this year when we make our thankfulness tree again.
