Thanksgiving is a special time of enjoying loved ones and eating lots of yummy food! Of course, all that food has to be cooked by someone. Probably you! By the time you sit down at the dinner table after all the preparations (sometimes with a baby on the hip!) you might feel ready to collapse. We can get so caught up getting ready for Thanksgiving that we forget to enjoy the time!
Here is a fun and meaningful exercise to restore your joy and connect with your family. It’s also a great exercise to increase the joy over Zoom with extended family if gathering in person isn’t an option this year.
Go around the table and invite people to do the following:
1. Share several specific highlights from the year.
Example: “The opportunity to visit our friends in Colorado this summer was a lot of fun.”
2. Share what you feel thankful for from the year.
Example: “I feel thankful for the quality time I spent with my family.”
Bonus Step #1: When everyone finishes, go around the table and share something you enjoy about each person.
Example: “I enjoy how Mom loves us so much! Mom’s care for each of us inspires me.”
Bonus Step #2: If you want to practice more fun, take turns sharing examples where you felt God’s love and goodness this year.
Example: “I feel Jesus’ love when I paint.”
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This is a lovely idea!! We don’t have a thanksgiving day in our nation as such but we love using the appreciation reminder every year and have made this a Christmas meal tradition.