The list of Oprah’s Favorite Things came out weeks ago and I couldn't resist clicking on one item that she was praising  - the Gratitude Glass Jar.  It's awesome and right up my alley. Worth $45 for an extremely gorgeous jar? Well sure, when you have that much to be grateful for, you need a jar like that.  

Tis the season for showcasing our gratitude. Whether you write your gratitudes on turkey feathers, paper leaves to stick on a tree/wreath or using a jar to hold your pieces of paper - I'm happy to see that it's totally trendy to say thanks. Thanksgiving is coming up and many family traditions include talking about the things for which we are grateful. Each November, when I pull out my T-day decorations, I like to read the collections of gratitude displays that my kids have put together over the years .  I cherish the candid, unfiltered items and people that the kids were thankful for when they were little. Usually everyone stays very PC when they reveal their gratitude list. Especially at the Thanksgiving table.  I’m thankful for my health, my family, my home, my dog etc.  Last week my friend Allison gave me a Gratitude Tree as a hostess gift (plus she gave a fun wine stopper because it was a wine tasting event).  Instead of waiting until Thanksgiving and asking the kids what they are grateful for, I have started to make this tree all about the things I want to acknowledge. On my leaves I wrote many untraditional gratitudes.

Gratitude that I found the silver lining after crashing my mom's car.

Gratitude that I have eczema because it's my body's way of telling me that something isn't quite right so I need to continue to seek help.

Gratitude that my gray hair surfaces every 3-4 weeks because I learn something valuable from my hair stylist at every appointment. 

Gratitude that I suck at multi-tasking while talking on my cell phone so I have to stop in order to concentrate on my conversations.

Gratitude that my mom had horrible tenants because it led to her moving in with us - I love having her here.

Gratitude that I lose my voice whenever I don't get enough sleep because then I have to slow way down.

Gratitude that my eye-sight is bad at night because it gives me another reason to be safe by taking Uber.  

Gratitude that I can't eat chocolate because it forces me to try new sweet treats that I wouldn't have tried before.

This year the Thanksgiving pinches for the teachers will be our version of the Gratitude Jar but we spent $43 less per jar than Oprah. The teachers can either write down words of gratitude to keep/share (btw, anytime of the year, not just on Thanksgiving) or they can use it to preserve peaches. Either way, they are getting a jar. I am hoping most teachers will embrace the gratitude trend.

Before I go, here are a couple of fun pinches I found:

My sister in law made these place cards last year and it made our dinner fun and festive. Everyone was seated according to the place cards but inside each card was a quote. We were all supposed to figure out who the quote best described or related to. Another version could be writing down a TV show or Netflix movie and having people guess who's currently binge watching it. 

I found these at World Market and I couldn't resist.  Wonder what the kids would think if one of my leaves on my gratitude tree said that I was thankful for a family that drinks?

Pinches,

Barb