I am so very excited to share with our “Thankful Tree” with you! You have no idea how many years I have wanted to do this and I never get around to it. I always feel sad and dejected about that when the Thanksgiving season is over. I was determined not to feel that way this year. So, even though we didn’t have a lot of time with it up, it’s the sense of accomplishment I’m most excited over.
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| So excited! |
Let’s talk about it! We started with cutting branches from the large bush in our front yard. I actually thought it would be bare by now, since it was last year this time. However, we had a pretty warm start to the season and temperatures have only recently begun to fall. I went out and picked a few branches that looked like the aesthetic I had in my head and put them in one of the numerous glass vases we have around the house.
Next, I printed out a free autumn leaf template I found online and made about 9 copies of the leaves. While the kids sat watching a movie on TV, I cut them out. I’d stopped by the Dollar Tree and craft store on my way home and picked up some Fall colored candles, twine, faux flowers, tape, glue, and black pen. I took those items and started looping the the twine through the leaves and made a prepping station for people to write down what they were grateful for. I quickly realized that as cute as it was, it would not work for what we needed. I decided to use the tape instead and it worked pretty well.
So far, so good. Our preschooler has been asking me to add her leaves already. She really enjoys seeing them added to the tree. I’m hoping this becomes a yearly tradition, but even if not, I’m so thankful that it came to fruition this year. Next year, we’re going to get it up by 1 November…hopefully!
-K
