Since Thanksgiving is coming up soon, I thought I'd share something my family does that works for us as we try to be more grateful for our blessings.
My husband and I try to limit the number of gifts we give our two boys (ages 5 and 11) for Christmas. We know that they'll also receive presents from grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends, and cousins, and we don't want them to become overwhelmed with too much "stuff." We also do at least one service project each holiday season, whether it's making and sending cards to inmates or serving food to the underprivileged. We want our sons to grow up knowing how blessed they are to have a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and full tummies (it's a good reminder for us, too!).
And--this would make my mom so proud--they are REQUIRED to write thank you notes to people after birthdays or Christmas. I help them with addressing them, and/or delivering/sending them. But they must write/draw the actual note. My mom made me do this when I was growing up, and I still write thank-you notes to people--it's just something simple that goes a long way (IMHO).
What do you do to encourage gratitude in your family?
