EntertainingThanksgiving Tradition: The Gratitude Journal November 23, 2014 I’m joining with five other bloggers today for Hospitality-filled Holidays hosted by the lovely Sonya from At Home with the Barkers. Our goal is to share an example of how we fill our homes with hospitality this holiday season. Hospitality has so many meanings and I think it looks a little different for each of us. At first, I thought about doing a recipe or a tablescape. But then I really started thinking about what Hospitality means to me. When someone comes into my home, I want them to be met with a warm and inviting atmosphere. Sure, the food and the decor goes a long way toward achieving that. But more than anything, I want them to feel WELCOME. WELCOME to come in and just be. Be themselves. Leave their burdens at the door and be refreshed. For me, I realized that hospitality at its core, is about showing your guests that they matter. It’s about touching others and making them see their value. There are so many ways that you can do this in your home, most of them simple. Warm smiles, looking them in the eye as they share their life with you, show you’re actually listening and you care about what they have to say. Show them they matter. But one specific Thanksgiving tradition came to my mind that my mom started years ago: THE GRATITUDE JOURNAL. This Thanksgiving tradition is simple, but I love the meaning behind it. My mom is the queen of traditions, all of them fun, but most of them special and meaningful. Several years ago, she designated a journal as her Gratitidue Journal. Every year, whoever spends Thanksgiving there, writes an entry in the journal. We all answer one very simple prompt. I AM GRATEFUL FOR… You can write one word. You can write a page. But the most amazing thing is years later, to look back over the entries and read what each of us were thankful for that year. It’s wonderful to reminisce, but to me, this is the ultimate form of hospitality. Invite them in. Show them you care. Show them they matter and that you are grateful for their place around your table. With our little Rosie on the way, I’ve been thinking hard over traditions and infusing meaning into all of our days. I realized this year that I need to start my own. I covered a notebook we had laying around the house with this blue floral scrapbook paper and wrote a simple GRATEFUL on the front. And while we currently don’t host Thanksgiving, I’ve decided that this little journal will travel with us. Each year, those we spend this holiday with will write an entry. As Rosie grows, we’ll write a little entry for her until she can write one for herself. And one day, we’ll have this beautiful account of hospitality shared with family, friends, those that make our lives rich. This is the simplest, but most meaningful of traditions! I hope you start your own this Thanksgiving holiday. And if you’re in need of a little last-minute Thanksgiving tablescape inspiration, make sure you check out the BSHT Thanksgiving Edition. The tour of 29 gorgeous and inspiring Thanskgiving tables starts by clicking below. Make sure you check out the other Hospitality-filled Holidays posts: At Home with The Barkers Thistlewood Farms StoneGable Daisy Mae Belle Finding Home *** Don’t forget about the free eBook giveaway when you sign up for Young Living Oils! More information here! Check out our most popular topics: Subscribe to our daily feed to make sure you don’t miss any Daily Doses of Style!
Sonya~At Home with The Barkers says November 24, 2014 at 7:35 am LOVE this idea. I think I may make one just to lay around my house for daily grateful thoughts. ~Sonya Reply
Lindsay says November 24, 2014 at 10:25 am Thank you, Sonya! I actually do that too 🙂 It’s such an amazing perspective shift! Reply
Laura Putnam says November 24, 2014 at 8:47 am Such a sweet and sentimental idea – right up my alley! Thanks so much for sharing! Reply
Melissa @ DaisyMaeBelle says November 24, 2014 at 9:44 am I absolutely LOVE this! What a beautiful tradition. Little Rosie will be so blessed by looking back over all of the things that her family and friends have been grateful for through the years! Thanks for sharing! Life to the full! Melissa Reply
Lindsay says November 24, 2014 at 10:28 am Thank you so much, Melissa! I can’t wait to share all of these traditions with little Rosie! Reply
Deonna at the Child at Heart blog says November 24, 2014 at 10:36 am I love this idea and actually do it year round. I like the idea of letting other people write in one journal and keeping it from year to year…what a special treasure you will have someday…Might just have to copy this! Reply
Lindsay says November 24, 2014 at 3:36 pm Thank you, Deonna! I do it year-round too for myself. This one is so fun to go back and see what everyone wrote! Reply
Corinna - For My Love Of says November 24, 2014 at 2:04 pm I love this! I think I’ll dig around for a decent notebook this evening to start one for our family. Thanks for sharing the idea! Reply
Lindsay says November 24, 2014 at 3:35 pm Thank you, Corinna! You need to do it! It’s such an easy way to add meaning and tradition to your holiday! Reply
Thistle says November 24, 2014 at 3:00 pm Your grateful journal is perfect! What an awesome idea. 🙂 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! karianne Reply
Lindsay says November 24, 2014 at 3:34 pm Thank you Karianne! I hope you and your family do too! Reply