Last year, my wife, KayEm, decorated an old oatmeal container, cut a hole in the top of the lid, and placed it on the counter with some Post-It Notes.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s our thankful box,” she said. “Throughout the year, we will write down things we are thankful for, place them in this container and read them on Thanksgiving Day.”
“Great idea,” I said.
Things started slowly with KayEm placing the bulk of the messages in the box. Eventually, the sight of that box on the counter prompted the rest of us to chime in.
Each time a family member wrote a message, the anticipation grew. We tried to pry hints about the notes from each other, but it never worked. We all managed to keep our lips sealed.
On Thanksgiving Day, we were eager to open the Thankful Box. I think the kids were almost as excited about reading the thankful notes as they are about Christmas day.
Immediately after breakfast, I grabbed the box and placed it on the kitchen table. Before I could open it, I noticed that my 6-year-old son, N, was looking a little sad.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I wasn’t able to put anything into the box because I don’t know how to write,” he said glumly.
“Come with me, son,” I said.
I led him into the dining room and asked him tell me what he wanted me to write down. He leaned in close and whispered something into my ear. I quickly scribbled the message on the Post-It Note and stuffed it into the box.
Back at the table, I prayed with the family and then opened the Thankful Box. I slowly pulled out the treasures that we had accumulated all year long and read each one aloud.
The notes helped us to remember some of the key moments from the past year: Our adopting our dog, Ginger; the first day of school; our 12th wedding anniversary. It also helped us to appreciate some of the more mundane moments: Nee’s playing with her brothers; X’s speech improvements; KayEm’s going out with her friends; and my washing the dishes.
Finally, there was one more note left. I purposely saved N’s note for last because it summed up our time together perfectly. I slowly unfolded the note and read these words:
“I’m thankful for my family.”
I couldn’t have expressed the sentiment any better.
Stay Strong,
Question: What are some of your family’s holiday traditions?
Popularity: 4% [?]
Andrea Paetkau (110)
Cheryl (80)
Mari (59)
Bryan (38)
carma (38)
Kim (38)
Annonandon (37)
Fran Oriordan (37)
Nancy (36)
Natalie A. (34)
{ 1 trackback }
{ 25 comments }
This is an incredible idea. I can only imagine the anticipation that everybody felt! I was anxious myself just reading this. I may try this with my fam. Tell wifey that was a great idea.
That is a great thing to do. It is important to help teach the kids about how much we have to be grateful for.
Wow. That brought a tear. Endearing and everlasting and a great tradition I’m going to pay forward with my family if that’s okay. Being thankful and grateful is so important. Happy Holidays!
This is a fabulous family tradition. I got a little choked up too, just thinking about pulling out all those little pieces of paper. Nicely done!!
I might have to start this at my house too.
Very heartwarming. I hope you and your lovely family had a fun day!
This is a great tradition and I love it. I have admit that I might steal the idea. Thanks so much for sharing. My family is pretty small and we don’t currently have any Thanksgiving traditions I can think of. However, I am now motivated to start at least one.
I absolutely, LOVE that idea. I think we might have to start that here. We’ll start on January 1. Looks like a few others are on board as well. Thanks for sharing.
Very nice story..
If we had the box, I would have put…
“I’m thankful for anyone else to do the dishes BUT me..”
WOW, what an amazing idea…I am going to start one now, THANK YOU! (and thanks for ther heartwarming tear
What a fantastic tradition! I hope you don’t mind if I steal it, too!
Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving. The year seems to have been fun, eventful, and most importantly, clean-dished.
That sounds like a great idea. We just might have to borrow that one from you! Happy Thanksgiving! -Jason @ The Devoted Dad
That sounds like a great Thankgiving tradition. It definitely sounds like you’re setting a very good example for your kids.
N is so very sweet and cute. That box is a great idea.
Perhaps the best part about our Thankful Jar experience was being surprised by/reminded of some of the things we were thankful for earlier in the year. When Nee discovered that she wrote “I’m thankful for my two brothers,” she was in shock, given that these days she complains about them all the time. I was equally surprised to find that I had penned about our naughty pet beagle, “I’m thankful for our dog Ginger.” Sometimes we can ALL use these little reminders.
MD, this was great. The idea is an incredible one. Equally as incredible is how you folded N into the mix. Job well done. jco
What a great idea! We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here in Europe, or at least not like you do in the US, but the idea itself can be easily adapted for our traditions also! Thanks for the inspiration! SY
This is a great idea that I will adapt for my family. Thank you for sharing and providing me with the inspiration.
Kelly-Anne
Oh, this was a wonderful post…. you did save the best for last, and all of the notes in between showed how true it is!
What a wonderful idea! I think I may borrow it for next year. I would like to know what the rest of my family is thankful for and for them to know what I’m thankful for. I really like this, thanks!
I think that is a great idea. We don’t really have a thanksgiving tradition, except watching Charlie Brown.
Oh my goodness, I think I just got choked up.
That is an awesome tradition. It moved my heart this morning. I am definitely adopting that today.
Our island does not recognize Thanksgiving officially because we are not part of the US like the Virgin Islands but our sons were both born in New Orleans which makes them Americans. This would indeed help us as we teach them about their homeland traditions.
It was so good of you to share this. You touched a family in the Caribbean today. Thank you.
P.S. It was great seeing your comment on my blog. Thanks a lot. Have a blessed day with your wonderful family.
That is an awesome idea! You must be proud of your family! Your son’s note had me a little choked up. Kids can be really sweet!
what a great idea too fun
Comments on this entry are closed.