Create a “Thankful Tree” – Annual Thanksgiving Project

For the last few years we have done a small Thanksgiving project together as a family. (I wrote a blog post and shared the projects from years past as well as our idea for this year. You can read it here. ) This year we decided to make a Thankful Tree!!

I was very much looking forward to it because I knew it would be such a statement piece and a welcomed addition to our Thanksgiving decor! There is something so special about having handmade items in my home especially when they’re made by my children. It just takes my breath away every time I look at their creations. In my opinion it’s the best kind of decor there is!

My boys were just home from a deer hunting trip and it was beautiful weather so we decided to jump right in and start creating. Clark and I started by collecting branches around the neighborhood. It really didn’t take us long to collect enough for our tree.

We gathered the materials we needed. We actually had everything already so it didn’t cost a thing!

I arranged the branches while the big kids used a 2” hole punch to make the tags for the tree. We used some scrapbook paper with a fall look that compliments the color scheme of our house.

Tip: Cut the scrapbook paper in 2 1/2″ strips so you can use all of it. If it is whole, the punch won’t be able to reach and you’ll waste a lot of paper.

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I dressed up the vase a little with some burlap ribbon. Be sure to use a heavy vase with a wide bottom. The tree tends to be a bit top heavy and needs the support of a large vase. You could always add river rocks or water if you need to weigh it down.

Tip: To achieve a nice inverted “v” edge, fold the ribbon in half and cut at a downward angle.

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I punched a hole in each 2″ tag with a standard hole punch to hang them on the tree. We decided not to use the twine to hang the tags, and just hang them directly on the tree like the inspiration picture. This worked well and was much less time-consuming than tying each tag with twine. I like the clean look of it as well.

While we worked we talked about some blessings from the past year that stuck out to us as a family. When it was finally time to write down what we were thankful for, everyone knew where they wanted to start. We wrote big things, little things, funny things, serious things and everything in between! Of course we saved some blank ones to last us all month!

Overall I’m so happy with the way this year’s project turned out! I decided to really make it a focal point and placed it on the mantle. I’m loving it!

I encourage you to do this as a family. It doesn’t have to be a Thankful Tree, there are so many ideas. You can check out tons of other ideas here. Take time, do something that helps you to reflect on the year. Whether it’s been a year full of blessing or sprinkled with burden and hardship, an attitude of gratitude (like I tell the kids) makes everything brighter!

Thanks for stopping by, Jamie xo

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