Tree of Thankfulness

A friend of mine creates a Thanksgiving Tree with her family every year. They create a paper tree on the wall and then write on silk fall-colored leaves what the are thankful for. Then they attach the leaves to the tree. I was inspired by the idea, but I didn't have the gumption to create a big tree on the wall. So, we made a small version, which I can keep for years to come. In fact, it's been hanging up since last Thanksgiving! It's a wonderful reminder of where we were, where we are, and all that we have to be thankful to the Lord for.

We used white and green construction paper and a brown marker. We also needed scissors, a glue stick, and a pen or two. I cut out a stack of leaves for each family member to write on. After all the leaves had been written on, we glued them on the tree.

We created this at Thanksgiving, but you could make one any time of the year (ours actually looks more like a tree during spring or summer, doesn't it?). And it doesn't have to be a tree. Write on snowflakes for a winter scene, blossoms for a spring scene, fish for an underwater scene, or whatever your family is into. It's just about taking some time to reflect and be thankful.

"Always give thanks to God the Father for everything." - Ephesians 5:20

(This Scripture is written across the grass in our picture. Also, we included a leaf with the year on it and another leaf with our family members' ages.)