A Season of Gratitude

Tips and traditions to help you hold onto gratitude a little longer.

compiled by Ann Cook

Christmas music, Black Friday sales, and endless holiday activities seem to begin earlier each year. There’s a term for this phenomenon—it’s “Christmas Creep!” No wonder we struggle to give Thanksgiving the place we’d like it to have in our lives or to have a heart of gratefulness for more than an afternoon the last Thursday of November. We’ve asked our JBU staff and friends to share tips and traditions they have used to hold onto gratitude a little longer, decrease stress, and keep the focus on Christ during Christmas. We hope you will find these helpful. After all, the holidays weren’t created to revel in what we can accomplish; Thanksgiving and Christmas are celebrations meant to honor what God has done!

What helps you cultivate a thankful heart all year long?

One way is to engage in “thank-you habits” like writing thank-you lists. I list things about God’s character such as His love and faithfulness, blessings like family, friends, and even electricity! Another idea is keeping a gratitude box. Daily write something you’re thankful for on a slip of paper, put it in a box, and read these on New Year’s Eve. The Bible says it best. “…let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28b, AMP). –Mary Blasczyk

What family traditions do you practice to keep the spirit of gratitude throughout the holiday season?

In the fall, our family buys a pumpkin and every day each of us writes one thing in marker on it that we’re thankful for. Sometimes it’s as little as coffee in the morning. Other times we write an answered prayer or an attribute of God we’re thankful for. During this season it’s such a joy to talk every day with my kids about what we’re truly grateful for. When we re-read them on Thanksgiving, it’s even fun to see Luke Skywalker or dinosaurs on the pumpkin! —Sharon Vaught

When you feel the stress meter going up, what do you do to help manage this?

When that happens, I know it’s time for a priority check. I take a moment to think through the activities and social gatherings for the season. Is my to-do list filled with things that truly praise God, foster gratitude, or show His love to others? If not, it’s time for some honesty about what to keep and when to say “not this year.” Traditions and holiday activities are great, but if they’re hindering me from experiencing the joy and peace of Christ, then it’s time to make some changes. —Shannon Nykamp

Advent is the time we prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth. What Advent activities does your family participate in?

Each year we place our advent candle wreath on our kitchen table. The kids wait excitedly as we light it nightly before dinner and have a short devotional. As we wait in anticipation for the coming of the Savior, we light an additional candle each week of advent. This symbolism increases our sense of expectation. Just as “the people living in darkness have seen a great light” (Matt. 4:16), we await the lighting of the Christ-candle on Christmas Day. It’s a fun way for all of us to focus on the coming of Jesus during the hustle and bustle of the holidays. —Ashley Schmidt How do you manage to be grateful when there isn’t much in your life to feel grateful for?

My husband and I learned to practice gratitude in difficult times whilst planning our October 2020 wedding in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. As our plans for a 180-person soiree in England were whittled down to 15 attendees in face visors, it was a challenge to stay grateful to God amidst the hurt, loss, and confusion. We prayed He would make a way for us to get married, and He did—three weeks before a national lockdown! Sometimes gratitude isn’t about “counting blessings,” but rather in trusting God’s sovereignty and plan for your good. It’s about humbling yourself before Him and praising Him in the midst of the storm, not just after it passes. —Danielle Thomas

Do you have tips or traditions that have helped you keep the focus on Christ for Christmas?

To keep Christ on our oh-so-distracted hearts, we ask ourselves, "What’s a gift we could give Jesus?" Because Jesus modeled a life of service, we decided to give Him the work of our hands. For the past seven years, our family and friends have gathered on Christmas morning at a local family shelter. We bake a breakfast buffet, flip pancakes, hold babies, and play with the kids and their newly-donated toys before going home to open our own gifts. It’s one small way of ensuring that the presents of Christmas take a backseat to God’s presence with us, our Immanuel. —Karaline Huenink

How do you use Scripture as a way to count your blessings and foster gratitude?

Early in my Christian life, I memorized Phil. 4:4-8. The secret to a life of gratitude is revealed there! “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Verse 6 is the admonition (Don’t be anxious….) but also the strategy (tell God what you need, with gratitude!), and verse 7 is the result (God’s peace!). Meditating on God’s Word and relying on His Holy Spirt truly does result in a grateful, transformed life. —Mary Perso