This year Thanksgiving for many of us will look different than ever before. In my home we’ll probably have the usual turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and tons of side dishes. What we won’t have is many people around the table. Due to the pandemic, we’ve decided to connect with our family online this year instead of seeing them in person. Since I’m sure many of you will have similar holidays, I wanted to share one way we are planning on making our Thanksgiving special this year.

 Gratitude Activity

Thanksgiving is a great time of year to talk things we are thankful for! And this year we’ve made a conscious decision to really focus on what we have to be grateful for. This Thanksgiving we decided to make a gratitude jar which everyone in our family will contribute to. I’ve cut out different colored paper and placed them along with a bunch of colored markers in a spot that we all use multiple times a day, the kitchen table. Every time we sit down, we can’t help but see it right in front of us.

One evening I placed it on the kitchen table and gave minimal instructions. Next thing I knew, my children were picking up multiple pieces of paper and writing what they were thankful for. They filled out so many pieces of paper, that in a couple days the jar was almost full.

The Big Reveal

The kids (and adults) can’t wait to read them on Thanksgiving! They are so excited to see what everyone else wrote. We even let them once in awhile reach in, grab one and read it aloud. We all guess who wrote it. Some notes are more serious than others (ex. family and health). Some are inside jokes that we’ll all find funny and others are new things that we’ve been grateful for since being home (masks to keep us safe and zoom calls with family). I think we are all realizing how lucky we are and how grateful we should be every day.

As Oprah Winfrey once said “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” I am grateful for so many thing in my life, I know how truly blessed I’ve been. One thing I’m very grateful for is the ability to have a job that I’m completely passionate about. A job that I never get tired of, I always look forward to and one that brings me and others around me joy. Thank you to all my amazing clients that allow me to capture your memories!

Create Your Own Traditions

We invite you to also make a gratitude jar and to read it on Thanksgiving or whenever is right for your family! All you need is a jar or bowl, colored paper and something to write on.

If you have other ideas or traditions to help make your Thanksgiving special, feel free to share them below.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Monica Alman Photography is a newborn, baby and family photographer in Montgomery County Maryland. We offers newborn, 6 month, 9 month, 1st year, smash cake, maternity, family and other photography session. Monica photographs in Gaithersburg, Maryland and the surrounding areas including Kentlands, Rockville, Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, North Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Derwood, Frederick, Urbana, Darnestown, Poolesville, Clarksburg, Boyds and other areas of Montgomery County as well as Northern Virginia. Contact Monica here to learn more about scheduling session for your family.