Our Book of Thanksgiving

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life." Melody Beattie

How about a family Thanksgiving book that you add to every year? A book wherein you record everyone's blessings and photos of the feast?

We do it in our family with "Our Book of Thanksgiving" scrapbook. I was inspired by Gray and Wales book, "Grandmother, Another Name for Love." The authors describe giving each grandchild a small scrapbook, and each grandchild does their own Thanksgiving book with an essay of what they are grateful for as well as photos of the event. I opted for ONE book that stays at my house, and that we add to year after year.

We place it on the table at the Thanksgiving meal, and Poppa reads everyone's blessings from the previous year. Then we go around the table and everyone names their recent acknowledgements of gratitude, and someone records responses for our big book.

Our page of thanks--there's a page for every year.

An added plus~

An additional benefit is the book stays out the month of November. On the day of the feast, oftentimes my grandkids peruse the book while we're getting dinner on the table. You can hear the laughs and giggles from the kitchen as the kids look at the pictures from when they were younger.

Always fun to see how the kids are growing up.

We even record everything when the feast is not at our house.

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." Marcel Proust.

We're on Volume II of our book!

My thoughts on scrapbooking~

I love going to the craft store and perusing the scrapbook aisle. I love the pretty papers, stickers and season-themed decals. I've always wanted to do scrapbooks, but I know enough about my personality that my interest would wane. Besides, where would one store all those scrapbooks?!! I've opted to do just this ONE BOOK. It satisfies my need to create, and I'm able to keep up with it every year--"Our Book of Thanksgiving."

Love purchasing all the goodies for my book. Added plus? It inspires me!

I actually record other autumn happenings--not just Thanksgiving.

Let's stir the pot!

If you do scrapbooks about family times, please share. If you decide to do that suggestion about every kid keeping their own book, I would love to see pictures of that. If you try something like this for the first time, please write me. We all love new ideas, and finding out what works and what doesn't! Just go to my contact page and write me. As I said, I would love to hear.

Happy Thanksgiving Season to you and yours!

"Forever on Thanksgiving Day the heart will find the pathway home." Wilbur D. Nesbit