Thankful Giving!

Thankful Giving!

Love it or loathe it…..seeing a myriad of department store displays welcoming the Christmas season long before November even gets underway is all too common in the retail world!

Like many of you, I look forward to Thanksgiving as a holiday to just “breathe“, so to speak, and think about the many wonderful details of my life that I’m thankful for before the Christmas season gets underway…so perhaps, at the very least, the upside of being inundated with holiday overload this time of year, (and its making its appearance earlier every year) is that it makes us all try harder to find ways to really celebrate the season of thankfulness and giving!

A neat trend I have noticed lately in many social media circles and even in some retail marketing advertisements, has been the celebration of “Friends Giving” an adaptation of the Thanksgiving mindset that shows there’s some conscious effort being made to give some thoughtful observance to this special time of year!

In my desire to make Thanksgiving season more meaningful for me this year, I’ve decided to use this fun idea and do a little “Thankful Giving” of my own for many dear friends and loved ones!

Thankful Gift Ideas:

My mother was a huge advocate that gifts should be given with some thoughtful consideration and should be accompanied with a heartfelt note to the recipient, expressing gratitude for their influence in your life.  With this advice in my mind, here then are some gift ideas I’ve found that I thought would be good for thankful giving.

Even if you aren’t one to go all out with your holiday decorations, a festive pillow with a fun greeting sets the holiday mood and greets visitors with a warm welcome.  I love the watercolor print pillows by Craftberrybush sold by Society 6.  The pillows are beautifully made and reasonably priced, and very fitting for a Thankful Giving gift to a good friend or family member when accompanied by a note listing some of the reasons you’re thankful for their influence in your life!  

All political pandering aside, if you have a friend who has shown strength in the face of adversity or a loved one who has helped you get through some tough challenges, then Ann Romney’s new book “In This Together” is the perfect Thankful Giving gift. 

In her own words, Mrs. Romney says, “A lot of people talk about the transformation that throws you a curve ball, and the big one in my life was my Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis.  With all the blessings I have had, MS has been my greatest teacher.  It has taught me about faith, compassion, and serving others.  I’ve met many people along the way who’ve shared and demonstrated enormous resilience in the face of challenges; their stories gave me strength.  In sharing my story, I want to give others hope as I’ve been given hope on this journey.”

   How wonderful would it be to share with a friend or loved one the ways you’ve gleaned strength from them on the inside cover of this book–it will be a most cherished gift!  

I love gifts that provide memorable experiences, so how fun would it be to give some pretty plaid scarves that are so popular now, (Target has some really great choices) for your Thankful Giving gift, with a fun note attached that tells the recipient that you want to plan a time to go on a morning or evening walk together, followed with getting a cup of hot chocolate afterwards.  More memorable than the scarf perhaps, will be the conversation shared–especially when you tell them how thankful you are for their friendship!  

Obviously, it goes without saying that I always think some sort of Gratitude Journal makes for a great Thankful Giving gift, and I especially like this one by Studio Oh.  Share your grateful thoughts about the person you’re going to give it to on a page or two, then wrap it up with some colorful pens and a fun treat–and there you have it!  Wouldn’t you love receiving this?   

Do you remember receiving one of those folded chain letters that got passed around your classroom in grade school, that you then had to share with at least one other friend?  When I saw this darling box set of cards with their simple drawings and sayings, celebrating what is good and decent in all of us, the thought came to mind that I would take the first card and write a note on it to a friend, then tie up the rest of the cards with a ribbon and tell her to pass on some fond sentiments to another cherished loved one, and so on…an ongoing Thankful Giving chain of sorts–may it never end! 

(It’s sort of ironic that I bought these cards quite some time ago–long before the tragedy that befell Paris this last weekend…so they seem more poignant than ever before now, and serve as a bittersweet reminder of a lovely and simpler time, one that I pray can somehow be restored.  Perhaps concerted efforts of Thankful Giving from each of us is a good way to start!)   

Now for the good news–my Thankful Giving gift to a couple of you is that I’m giving away two of the Thankful pillows!!  All you have to do to enter is make a comment here about a Thanksgiving tradition you have or a neat Thankful Giving gift you have received.  You can also visit my Instagram account here, like the post and tag one other friend.  Like my “Lucky Day Giveaway” last March, my cute hubby will exert his most trusted efforts on your behalf and pick winners at random.  Good luck and please know that I’m so thankful for all my readers and any comments that are shared to help us all live and learn better!

(Giveaway is open until Wednesday evening November 18, 2015, 10 pm–MST.  Available for mailing in the U.S. only.)

Feeling so grateful, thankful and blessed!

–Mary