The Grateful Table: Infusing Gratitude into Your Thanksgiving Feast

We’re just a couple of days away from Thanksgiving, and I’m ready! I printed out my Thanksgiving Planner and have been referring to it every day as we prepare to host thanksgiving this year for 12-14 people. In this, the third of my three-part series on preparing for Thanksgiving, I’ll share some tips for incorporating gratitude into your Thanksgiving celebration. 

Let’s start with the easy ones, at the dinner table, have someone say a prayer of thanks to the Lord for the family gathered (and those not able to be there) and for the food. During the meal, go around the table and have everyone share something they are grateful for this year. Before starting this activity, a good verse to read is James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Something that we are thankful for this year is the great vacation we took; however, we acknowledge that God is the one who ultimately provided for us to take that vacation.

A twist on that activity is to say three things you are grateful for: a person, an activity, and something you learned this year. This just gets the sharing to go a little bit deeper and encourages your guests to be a bit more introspective. For me, this is what this would look like this year: I’m grateful for Tom, my husband. He has been my rock as I have gone through a huge life change and my emotions have been (and still are) a bit all over the place. An activity that I am thankful for this year is sitting in our infra-red sauna. We’ve had this sauna for a couple of years, but I never was super interested in it. When I was at my chiropractor’s office one day, I mentioned to her that we have one, and asked if she thought I should use it. “Yes!” was the answer, so I started using it. I don’t use it every day, and I’m not sure what it’s doing for me physically, but mentally, it has been a game-changer. I use my time in the sauna to listen to podcasts, pray, or just listen to spa music. If nothing else, I come out sweaty and mentally alert, ready to take on whatever is next (usually a shower). What I have learned this year is that I am capable of learning new things. I began the year working in church ministry, left that job in April, purchased a course on digital marketing, launched my website in July, started two new jobs in September, and have taken several other online courses to help me learn how to launch an online business. It has been a year of learning so many new things! 

As you can see, this activity will take a bit more time, but it is so worth it to really learn more about each person at your gathering. I’m looking forward to the day my future grandchildren are around the table and are sharing that they learned to read or ride a bike, and we can all cheer and encourage the growth we see in them!

A couple more ideas for you to incorporate gratitude into your Thanksgiving celebrations:

Create a Gratitude Jar as a centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. Place small pieces of paper and pens beside it. Throughout the meal, encourage everyone to jot down something they are thankful for this year. After the meal, take turns pulling out and reading the notes. It's a beautiful way to preserve the memories and expressions of gratitude, creating a tangible reminder of the blessings shared. I have a white ceramic ”Blessings” jar that I was given as a gift. It came with slips of paper and we use it throughout the year to write down when we see God’s blessings to us. At the end of the year, we pull them out and recount God’s faithfulness and goodness to us. Doing this activity as part of Thanksgiving and saving them year to year would be so special. 

One final idea for those who are more creative than I: prepare a simple art station with blank cards or small canvases (mini magnet canvases would be great to use for this- you can display them on the fridge and then your guests could take them home and use them on their fridge), markers, and paints. Invite your guests to express their gratitude through art. They can draw, paint, or write something they are thankful for. This not only serves as a creative activity but also as a unique way to capture the essence of gratitude. Display the completed artworks in a communal space, creating a gallery of thanks that can be revisited in the future.

As we approach the Thanksgiving feast, let's not only savor the flavors of our favorite dishes but also relish the warmth of gratitude that permeates our gatherings. In this three-part series, we've explored practical ways to infuse gratitude into our Thanksgiving preparations, from mindful planning to intentional conversations. Now, I'd love to hear from you! How do you cultivate gratitude during this season of thanks? Share your thoughts and traditions in the comments below. Let's inspire each other to foster a spirit of gratitude that extends far beyond the Thanksgiving table. May your celebrations be filled with joy, warmth, and an abundance of thanks!