Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday full of fun, feasting, family and football.  But it can also be a time to start new traditions meant to increase your family's thanks and encourage giving.  You can use Thanksgiving as a springboard to cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude and awareness of the needs of others.  Here's some simple and even fun ideas to get you started.

More Thanks

1. Make a blessings box.  Pass out lots of slips of brightly colored paper to your family and guests at the beginning of the day.  Ask them to write one thing they are thankful for on each slip of paper, and then write something else on the next one, etc.  It can be silly, like "I'm thankful for SpongeBob cartoons" or it can be serious, as in "I'm grateful Aunt Betty is feeling better".  But it should be specific.  Then place all the pieces of paper in a gift box, mix them up and read them after turkey dinner.  If you need incentive to get the kids thinking, you could offer a small prize like a candy bar to whoever comes up with the most items.  The object, of course, is to inspire your family to count their blessings.

2. Create certificates of appreciation. Use your computer software to set up official looking certificates and print them.  The certificate should say something like,  "Every Thanksgiving our family tradition is for each of us to choose one special person to whom we would like to express our appreciation.  This year, I have chosen you to thank because.... There should be blanks on the certificate to fill in the person's name, date, and why they have been chosen.  For example, your daughter might decide to thank an old teacher for inspiring her love of reading.  Or your son might want to show gratitude to his best friend's father for taking him along with them to the baseball game.  It should be someone outside the immediate family.  After Thanksgiving, they can mail the certificates or present them in person.

3. Thank the troops. There are websites that will tell you how to send holiday cards and letters to the troops stationed overseas.   Take the time to let a stranger in the military know that you support and appreciate their sacrifice.

4. Report a job well done. Have you received consistently good service from someone throughout the year?  It could be your hair stylist, a waiter, a patient store employee who seemed eager to answer all your questions?  Every Thanksgiving, make a list of those people.  Jot down a quick note that outlines the attentive care you received from that person, and then send it to their supervisor and also a copy to them. 

5. Start a family gratitude journal.  Beginning at Thanksgiving dinner and continuing on to mealtimes throughout the year, ask each family member what they are grateful for that day.  Write down all the comments.  It's a great way to collectively focus on the positive.

Extra Giving

6. Invite someone to Thanksgiving dinner.  Is your elderly neighbor unable to make the big 200 mile trip to her family's gathering, but would be able to travel across the street to your house?  How about your single friend who just lost her mother?  Don't assume that people have Thanksgiving plans.  Instead, ask "what are you doing for Thanksgiving?"  The holidays are a rough time to be alone, so make sure that no one that you care about spends Thanksgiving that way.

7. Make a video with highlights of the day for someone who couldn't make it.  If there are circumstances preventing a family member from joining you on Thanksgiving, document it for them.  Whether you use a camcorder or the movie mode on your digital camera, take footage of the festivities.  Include special messages from each person there.  You can edit it in Windows Movie Maker, burn it onto a DVD and mail it to them, so they don't feel left out.  If you have a teenager, this could be a project they would enjoy.

8. Love thy neighbor.  Ask each family member to think of one specific thing they could do for a particular neighbor.  For example, I could mow their lawn, rake the leaves, shovel snow, give a ride, babysit, run an errand, bring over cookies or just spend some time visiting with them.  Then encourage them to put that into practice.  Just imagine how nice your neighborhood would be to live in, if everyone on the block adopted this tradition!

9. Issue the not so random acts of kindness challenge.  While you're eating pumpkin pie, call upon those around the table to come up with ideas for nice little things they can do for others.  Here are some suggestions.  You could donate books you've already read to the library or toys you've outgrown to the homeless shelter.  If you see litter, you could pick it up and put it in the trash can.  You could let someone cut in front of you in line or put a quarter in an expired parking meter.  You could pick a flower from your garden and give it to a friend.  Make a list of those ideas and in the coming months, see how many little acts of kindness your family can accomplish.

10. Sponsor a child from a third world country.  Thanksgiving is a great time to begin.  As your family is giving thanks, why not reach out to someone less fortunate? 

So, go ahead and dig into those candied sweet potatoes, watch the parade on TV and listen to grandpa reminisce about the good old days.  Then go beyond the turkey and make this holiday the most memorable Thanksgiving of all.  By adopting some of these new family traditions for counting blessings and reaching out to others, you'll be putting the thanks and the giving back into the holiday.