This November, rather than shifting straight from spooky season into the Christmas spirit, let’s dedicate some time to showing those we love some gratitude. As the year enters its final months, it is easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of Christmas shopping and New Years plans, but Thanksgiving is a crucial time to pause and admire everything and everybody who helped us get this far! If you’re unsure how to celebrate beyond cooking the turkey and passing the mashed potatoes around the table, here are a few ideas that will help you to spread the love all November long.
- Thankful Turkey/Conucopia
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your friends, and your family to appreciate all that you have. Each day in the month of November, write on a paper feather to fill the turkey (or on a paper fruit for the cornucopia) one thing, person, or place that you are grateful for. Then, you will tape the feather or fruit to its craft. Continue this activity daily and watch the feathers or fruits multiply! By not repeating thankful reasons, by the end of the month it will be easy to see and recognize all the things you have to be grateful for. If crafts aren’t your thing but you still want to take part in this activity, write out your daily November gratitudes in a journal or paper that is easily accessible or visible to you throughout your day. This activity not only visually shows you how plentiful your blessings are, but also challenges you to come up with new gratitudes that you may not have considered before.
- Thank you’s
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I know what you’re thinking- these aren’t the kind of thank-yous that you give to someone after they send you something nice or attend your party. Each day in November, think of a person who has impacted you lately. This could be a parental figure, a professor, a sibling, or a friend to name a few ideas. After deciding on a particular person, think of something nice you can do, say, or write to them to make them smile. For a friend, you might decide to leave a baked treat for them after a long day of classes, for a parent, an appreciative phone call could make their day, and for a professor, an email thanking them or letting them know they are making an impact could go a long way. In this way, you are expressing gratitude to those who mean the most to you, and spreading some kindness along the way.
- Baked Goods
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If you find yourself wanting to go the extra mile, and perhaps you have a knack for baking, who says you have to wait until Thanksgiving to share your talents? Thanksgiving is notorious for its delicious foods, and it is no secret that each person has a favorite! For those who you want to celebrate with before Thanksgiving Day, find out their favorite treats and bake away! Some like the holiday desserts, while others wish they could have homemade stuffing every day of the week. By taking the time to get to know their favorites and baking for them, your friends, family, or whoever earns a Thanksgiving treat this November, will surely be flattered and appreciated.
Whether or not any of these ideas appeal to you, it is crucial never to take the people, places, or things around you for granted. Thanksgiving is more meaningful than the foods served (while they are very tasty). Gratitude should be celebrated, practiced, and expressed all month long, if not all year long. Grab your loved ones, tell them you are thankful for them, and pass the pumpkin pie!