There is nothing more heartwarming than hearing your small child say he is most thankful for his family. It was part of his homework last week to send in a photo or draw a picture of something he’s grateful for. He could have said his video games, or school friends, or ice cream sundaes. But he said “my family” without hesitation, and so we sent in a family photo. I’m so glad the spirit of Thanksgiving has rubbed off on him.

It’s true that Thanksgiving is my personal favorite holiday. For once, it’s a holiday with no strings attached. It’s probably also the least commercialized (if you ignore the marketing promos during the Macy’s parade or the endless specials on The Food Network, that is). What I mean is there are no gifts to wrap, no goodie bags to make, no costumes to wear, no turkey trees to decorate. It’s just family gathering together over some good food and family traditions.

It may sound corny, but it’s sort of my reminder to be thankful for the blessings I have throughout the year. Sometimes it’s hard on those day… you know the ones. Those days when it’s 11:15 p.m. and you still haven’t had a moment’s peace or even time for a shower. Those days when the kids are whiny, you burn dinner, or your babysitter cancels at the last minute. But still, there’s so much to be thankful for, and it’s great to have a holiday that puts thankfulness in the spotlight. And the stuffing’s pretty good, too!

Maybe we should turn everyday into a mini Thanksgiving by having everyone in the family talk about one thing they’re thankful for during dinner. Or maybe we can make sure we say thank you to someone each day. Any other ideas?

What have you taught your children about being thankful?

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