Gratitude Before the Gratitude Season

The leaves haven’t turned (or just die) and pumpkin pies aren’t baking yet, but something about the shift into fall pulls at the heart. The world gears up for Thanksgiving as if gratitude is a holiday, but in our home, we’re choosing to make it a rhythm.

Before the decorations, before the to-do lists, before the travel plans: what would it look like to start practicing thankfulness now?

Slowing Down Enough to Notice

Fall reminds us to slow down. The earlier sunsets, the cooler air, the quieting of summer noise, it’s an invitation to breathe deeply and look around with open eyes. When we slow down, we begin to see again.

The cozy meals shared around the table. The scraped knees that turned into snuggles. The laughter in the chaos of five kids talking over each other. The deputy walking through the door after a long shift.

These aren’t background noise. These are gifts.

Making Gratitude a Family Practice

Gratitude in our home doesn’t look like perfection, it looks like pausing.

We take moments to say thank you aloud:

• Before dinner, each child shares one good thing from the day.
• On nature walks, we notice the little things: the sky’s color, a bird’s call, a breeze.
• We write it down: little lists in journals or on sticky notes taped to the fridge.
• We speak it to each other. “I’m thankful you helped your brother with his shoes.”
• We pray it: “Lord, thank You for today, even the hard parts.”

Why Start Now?

Because waiting for the “gratitude season” means missing all the ordinary, holy moments leading up to it.

And because our children learn by what we live. If we want them to be thankful people, let’s model it when no one is watching, when it’s not tied to a holiday, and when life feels more like laundry and dinner prep than a Hallmark moment.

Journal Prompt

Take five minutes this week and write down 3 small things you’re thankful for each day. Not the big obvious ones, just the little things you might overlook. Then ask your children to do the same and share over dinner or bedtime.

Gratitude grows when it’s planted in the everyday.