Our Thankful Tree

This year, I wanted to get back to the basics in terms of our holidays.  So, rather than spending money on expensive table decorations, I wanted to focus on the reason for the holiday: gratitude.  As a family, we made a "Thankful Tree."  The boys hunted the sticks and then hunted acorns to put in a vase to keep the sticks in place.  Then the boys and I picked up beautiful fall leaves and brought the leaves home.  Each person wrote what they were thankful for on the leaves gathered.  We tied the leaves to the branches, and ta da! The Thankful Tree.  It made my heart SO happy and reinforced to the boys the importance of being thankful for our family and many blessings.  When family visited Thanksgiving and the days that followed, Noah asked family members to write what they were thankful for and add it to the tree.  It was so sweet.  I think this is a tradition that I want to keep! We have so much to be thankful for...especially this Thanksgiving of 2014.