Blessing Box
A Tradition That Develops An Attitude of Gratitude
Leaping from Halloween to Christmas with only a slight nod in the direction of Thanksgiving is something I work diligently to avoid as a person and as a mother.
The Tradition of a Blessing Box has provided a meaningful way to celebrate Thanksgiving.
The Tradition of a Blessing Box has provided a meaningful way to celebrate Thanksgiving.
We start on November 1.
Our Blessing Box is placed in a prominent location. At the side of the box are strips of paper and a pencil. Daily, each family member is to write down at least one blessing he/she is thankful for and place the strip inside the box. On Thanksgiving Day, when we sit down for dinner, we open the box and go around the table reading each paper with the blessing listed. If we are gone or with a large group for Thanksgiving Dinner, we read the papers the night before or some time close the Thanksgiving Dinner. As we read the blessings listed, it is an incredible reminder of how blessed we are. We laugh, cry, try to guess who wrote some of the silly things, etc.
Your box does not need to be fancy, in fact, it does not need to be a box.. it can be an envelope, a jar, a bowl, a family dish, whatever container you would like. I have purchased beautiful cookie tins to give as Blessing Box gifts. However, the container does not have to be decorated. The important focus is the daily listing of blessings. Find a container you will actually use and one that will fit your life. I have made Blessing Boxes with children and had them decorate shoe boxes or, at other times decorated Large Manila envelopes.
How did I decorate my box? This was a plain, unfinished wood box. Here is how I got it to look so festive…
-
Separate the box and the lid.
-
Work on a large piece of Waxed Paper
-
Coat bottom and lid with Regular Elmers Glue (You can used Mod Podge)
-
Press on small torn pieces (around 2″ squares-give or take) of fall print napkins (if they are 2-ply, separate the layers and use the top layer)
-
Make sure all of the box is covered. Around the edges, make sure to press the pieces of napkin inside the rims.
-
When the box is covered, add another layer of glue.
-
Let dry and it will be clear and shiny.
-
Spray with a coat of clear sealer (Optional)
I give Blessing Boxes as gifts every year with a short note explaining how we use our box as a family and how it has given meaning to our Thanksgiving Celebration.
Whether you are alone, an empty-nester, or living with a family, I invite you to embrace this Blessing Box tradition as part of your Season of Thanksgiving.
The world around me becomes more beautiful, enjoyable, and positive as I note my blessings daily! Yours will, also.
After living all over the USA as a child, Florida is home for Shauna who blogs at Shauna & Co. After raising 3 sons, who are grown and on their own, she is on parenting “Round 2” raising two young daughters. Shauna recently “graduated” from Elementary School and is a “retired” PTA President. She is also the Team Leader for the Florida Time Out For Women presented by Deseret Book. Other light-hearted things about Shauna – she dislikes canned refrigerator biscuits because they “pop” when they open, she is “math-phobic” – except for when it comes to counting her blessings!
Thanks, Shauna, for this wonderful idea! Sometimes the simplest things have the greatest impact.
© 2007-2011 Chocolate on my Cranium, LLC all rights reserved
Hi Shauna,
I actually saw your blog post first, but was skimming quickly and didn’t notice the link. Then I came here and saw the same picture! So, I had to read a bit more carefully, and there you are at the end 🙂 What a great idea. Thanks to both you and Cocoa for sharing.
I, too, can’t believe it’s already November. Thank you for inspiring ideas to help make these upcoming holidays special.
Great idea! I’ve been wanting to implement something like this in my home.
I love this idea! I’m off to get a canning jar and a ribbon so we can start today. Thank you so much for sharing.
This is such an awesome idea. I am going to share it with my children and I hope they will incorporate it into their family traditions.
Blessings to you for great idea.
This is a wonderful idea. It gives everyone a chance to realize that even if there are many things not going their way, this box can be a reminder that there is so much out there that makes everything just worth so much more. Thank you so much for posting this. I will have to give it a try with my family =)
~ Kieli ~
http://rainbowstarcandy.blogspot.com/
My family thinks I’m crazy because I afraid to opening the cans of refrigerator biscuits! I’ll have to tell them I’m not the only one! 🙂
Lovely idea!
We do this too and the very little ones draw pictures.
The first year we did this I was so filled with the blessings I already had that I had no desire to rush early the next morning for black Friday, and I haven’t gone since.
Thanks for the reminder to get ours out