For the fourth consecutive year we’ve filled our little thrift-store jar that we etched with the word “Thanks” back in 2010 (you can read how we made it here). Before everyone dives headfirst into the gravy (yes, the ritual is real), we wanted to keep our tradition of sharing a few highlights of the things that ended up in this year’s jar.
Spoiler: one of the things we listed is you. So let’s pause for a moment — your hair looks great, you smell nice, that shirt is flattering, and most of all we’re so grateful that you stop by our blog. Your visits, comments, and support are part of what makes this project so meaningful to us.
This year was both wild and wonderful: we moved into a new house, we’re expecting a baby, we went on a whirlwind book tour, worked on a showhouse for Habitat for Humanity, and even heard Oprah mention our names. It’s been overwhelming in the best way, and we still can’t quite put into words how unexpected and amazing this blogging journey has been since that first post in 2007. I’m grateful my tech-savvy husband suggested starting a blog “for fun,” and that we followed through — even if the idea sounded a little nerdy at first.
Back to the “thanks jar” tradition. Since 2010, during November each year we’ve written a thing we’re thankful for on a slip of paper and added it to the jar. You can see glimpses from past years in our older posts. This year felt extra special because Clara is old enough to dictate every one of her cards and color them herself. Last year we were prompting her — “are you thankful for books?” — but this year she came up with each item on her own. There’s even a drawing where she rendered my head looking exactly like a football. Absolutely priceless.
We also introduced a simple color system this year: Clara’s slips are yellow, mine are orange, and John’s are red. When we look back in future years the colors will tell us who wrote each note, which helps when the handwriting starts to blend together after a lot of tiny pieces of paper.
Some of Clara’s favorite things included:
- Making smoothies with Daddy
- Santa (a timely crossover)
- Legos and building really big castles with Mommy
- Going to the beach
- Grammy & TomTom and their toys
- Playing in her “box crib” — right now we have a giant refrigerator-sized box in the living room and she fills it with animals and toys and basically wants to live in there
John and I had some amusing overlaps on our lists — both of us mentioned The Walking Dead, iPhones, and our trusty miter saw. It’s funny how different seasons of life yield similar small pleasures.
At the end of the month — typically on Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving Day — we open the jar and read every note together. We also pull out the jars from previous years and go through those. They act like little time capsules, freezing ordinary details that would otherwise be forgotten: shows we watched that are now canceled, places we visited, once-popular songs that have faded, and private inside jokes. I love that we’ll always have those tiny reminders to peek back at and remember where we were each year.
Originally I planned to keep this post short — just a quick “Happy Thanksgiving” with a cute chalkboard photo and let you guys go eat your stuffing in peace. Clearly I got carried away. Maybe it’s the hormones, or the smell of cookies baking, or just a surplus of gratitude. Whatever the reason, I couldn’t help sharing a little more about our jar tradition and what made this year special.
We hope you enjoy safe travels, delicious food, and warm company. Whether you take a nap after dinner or linger over conversation, we wish you a peaceful holiday. We’ll be spending Thanksgiving with family, tackling a bit of kitchen work, and continuing a few projects with the Children’s Hospital that we’re excited to share when we return — and yes, probably three pounds heavier from all the pie.
More Thanksgiving Crafts & Traditions
We love celebrating Thanksgiving at home, and we’ve gathered a few other projects and traditions you might enjoy trying:
- A free Thanksgiving printable for mailing messages of gratitude to friends and family
- A Thanksgiving gratitude chalkboard display you can customize each year
- Our daughter’s first-year Thanks Jar messages, preserved as a little time capsule
