New Ways to Give Thanks this Thanksgiving

It’s that time of year when families draw closer, cherished recipes come out of hiding, and there’s that palpable buzz in the air that says the holidays have arrived! At Sterling Pear, we know we’re not alone when we say that we love this time of year, and we like to focus on the things that make Thanksgiving truly unique – it’s a purely American holiday devoted to being grateful for the bounty we enjoy in our lives.

Thanksgiving, for us, is the holiday dedicated to remembering the difficult beginnings of our country and, in turn, the wealth of opportunities and resources that we enjoy as its citizens. We are mindful of the people in places like the Philippines or Syria who are experiencing difficult times. And in a time when our country may seem deeply divided, it’s nice that we can all pause on Thursday to be thankful for the liberty and history that we share.

This Thanksgiving season we have found two great new traditions to start in our own families– Gratitude Trees and Giving Tuesday.

The gratitude tree, a simple and heartfelt way to give thanks.

Gratitude Trees:  A recent issue of a children’s magazine encourages children to make a Gratitude Tree. Children write down things that they are grateful for on colored paper in the shape of leaves boasting festive fall colors. The more they are grateful for, the fuller the tree becomes. In the sample we saw, the leaves said things as simple as, “I am grateful for mommy and daddy,” “I am grateful that dinner tastes so good,” and “I am grateful my eyes are pretty.” What a great activity to help your children remember all the little things we should be thankful for!

Giving Tuesday:  Our other new tradition this year is another way of showing thanks. It’s called Giving Tuesday and its goal is to become one of the big holiday shopping landmarks (hopefully to rank with Black Friday and Cyber Monday), but the focus is on giving to charitable causes instead of buying gifts. Giving Tuesday officially began last year and is the brainchild of the United Nations Foundation. Mark your calendars because Giving Tuesday is on Tuesday, December 3. If you’re Twitter friendly, check out #GivingTuesday or you can go to www.givingtuesday.org for additional information.

Last but certainly not least, we’re thankful for you! When we pause on Thursday to count our blessings, our Sterling Pear friends and customers will be on our list! Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!