We usually keep up a little Thanksgiving ritual: filling our homemade Thanks Jar with notes of gratitude all through November. This year, our book tour kept us away for most of the month and we almost missed it. So this past weekend we squeezed the tradition in at the last minute and gave it a twist by using our new chalkboard.
The lettering at the top of the board was a team effort. Sherry looked up a pretty script on Pinterest and tried to mimic the flowing “thanks” style—adding a few curls and flourishes. I jumped in afterward to add some shading and to write “Give” and “2012” in my more blocky, “man” lettering. Together it came out nicely.
I enjoy sketching different type styles (type nerd, I admit it), but using chalk nearly undid me. The sound and the gritty feel on the board make me oddly anxious—something I don’t experience when Sherry or Clara are drawing. Still, working through that discomfort felt a bit like therapy. I can now say I used chalk and survived. Baby steps.
Once our word art was finished, we moved on to filling the board with gratitude. We used inexpensive Target magnets and some cut-up cardstock to create a simple “Thanks Board.” By the end of the afternoon it was filled with short notes of things we appreciate.
A few of the round wooden magnets with painted stripes were gifts from a friend who stopped by at one of our signings. She made them from small wood disks, some paint, tape, and glued magnets on the back. We love those little handmade pieces and they became our favorites on the board.
We wrote our thankful thoughts on paper cards for a couple of reasons: we can later tuck the cards into our thanks jar along with messages from previous years, and it let me avoid writing directly on the chalkboard more than necessary. Practical and sentimental at once.
For the first time we got Clara involved. Explaining the concept of gratitude to a 2½-year-old isn’t easy—our explanation was basically “think of people or things that make you happy”—but she came up with adorable answers. When she said “Mommy and Daddy make me happy,” our hearts melted. Other favorites she named were a balloon, the bookstore, and a neighbor’s party that had a moon bounce.
Here are a few of the cards we created. Since I wrote Clara’s note, we let her color it with crayons so it would be clearly hers. For example, I wrote that I’m thankful for Skype—especially helpful last week—while Clara’s card features colorful scribbles for the party she loved.
Clara did get distracted before we finished, so she’s the one who’s thankful for Play-Doh cookie cutters—not me. That bright marker scribble is pure Clara.
A safety note: small magnets are hazardous for young children. We had a serious conversation with Clara about magnets not being toys or food. She’s mostly past the mouthing stage, but we didn’t want her to mistake them for candy. Later we heard her tell our dog Burger that he could “look but not touch” the magnets because they’re not yummy, which made us laugh. After taking photos, we moved the tiniest magnets out of reach and placed larger, non-swallowable magnets lower on the board to be extra careful.
We’re glad we salvaged the tradition this year. Writing down what we’re thankful for—big or small—felt satisfying. Even simple pleasures made the list: a cozy TV show to unwind with each week earned a space on our board. Yes, Dexter made the cut.
Although we could have filled the whole board with things we appreciate, we intentionally left the lower section open so Clara could add her own drawings. She clearly didn’t inherit her father’s chalk aversion and took full advantage of the space.
We hope anyone celebrating Thanksgiving has a warm holiday filled with good food, safe travels, and loving company. And for those who aren’t observing the holiday, we wish you the same sense of gratitude and peace. From our little family to yours: happy, grateful days.
Oh, and Burger always manages to steal a scene or two—he’s an expert at making us laugh during photo time. Happy face-stuffing to all!
Looking for more Thanksgiving ideas? Check these related posts in our archives: a free Thanksgiving printable to send messages of gratitude, a DIY glass-etched Thanks Jar craft, and a look back at our daughter’s first year writing Thanks Jar messages.
Update: We’ve also rounded up some favorite holiday decor finds—many are budget-friendly and under $15.