I am passionate about being intentional during the holiday season to cultivate simplicity and special family traditions in order to tune our hearts towards our Savior and focusing not upon ourselves but upon the glorious gifts that we are blessed with each and every day. It is easy for the holiday season to get incredibly busy with activities, outings, and gift shopping, and miss out on the more important work of preparing our hearts for the Lord’s coming. I am certainly guilty of this. I am thankful for the grace and strength that God freely gives to help us stop the madness, search our hearts, and begin to make practical steps towards refocusing our hearts.
This year I came across a cute thankfulness wreath pictured in a recent edition of Family Fun magazine that I was inspired to make for our own use. It was super easy to make. You only need a 12-inch styrofoam wreath, fall colored cardstock (or construction paper works too!), and about 1/4 yard of fabric cut into thin strips (about 2 inch strips works best I discovered). I took each strip of fabric and wrapped it around the wreath and secured it with straight pins. Then, I cut out leaf shapes on the cardstock and folded each leaf in half for added dimension and pinned them around the wreath with more straight pins. Each night as we prepare our hearts for thanksgiving, we will take our wreath down from the wall and write on a leaf the things each of us our thankful for.
To take just a few moments on a regular basis to think upon what we are grateful for during this month of preparation for Thanksgiving is really precious, especially as you hear the small voices of little ones whispering their thanks and recording it upon our wreath. Oh to keep our hearts focused on the goodness of a Mighty God who loves us. I need grace each and every day to keep my eyes upon the Lord rather than my failures and problems. This simple practice is just one way to get our eyes off ourselves and on One far more worthy of our gaze.
For further inspiration, visit: 5 Meaningful Things to Do In Preparation for Thanksgiving. Looking for a quality picture book read aloud for Thanksgiving? Check out our favorite: Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving.
That would make a great gift idea, using cloth on the wreath would allow it to be used more than 1 year. Could write on one side of the leaf for the 1st year and then 2nd year, use a different color of ink….would get you 2 years out of each leaf.
This is beautiful Lindsay. I had the family do a Thanksgiving tree and I looked at your link and it’s similar to what we did this year. LOL. I got the idea from FamilyFun.go as well. God Bless your family this season. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Love this! I am currently reading “One Thousand Gifts” and this looks like a great way to cultivate the spirit of thanksgiving in our home.
Awesome project!! Definitely want to use this in my new in-home childcare as well as as a homeschool project and bible study lesson. Thank you…never thought to use an actual wreath!
LOVE this! Thanks so much for sharing
Hello, this is a wonderful idea. I pressed this post on my blog this am. I think it would be a great idea to do in Sunday School. I am going to do it with my class this month! Hope you didn’t mind me reposting it. I didnt say much but directed my post to come here to see yours. Have a great day and thanks for sharing all your ideas.
Thanks for sharing!! I was just getting ready to try and think up something like this for my little one. He’s not yet 2 but he loves crafts and I think it’d be a nice reminder for hubby and I too. I might try a variation of this, this weekend.
Lindsey,
I stumbled upon your blog a few years ago and am so appreciative of all your posts! This wreath is such a simple but wonderful idea. I feel the same way about needing to slow down and prepare our hearts for Christ before the holidays. And now that my oldest daughter is 3, I also want to start some of our own family traditions. I think she will love this idea too! Thanks from New Jersey!!!
I love this idea! What a wonderful way to celebrate this holiday season!