Holiday Traditions

Mike Robbins Asks: What Are You Grateful For?

Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays for my family and for me. Gratitude is something that means a lot to us as a family, even when we forget to express it and practice it with each other.

Each year for Thanksgiving there are a few things we like to do to remind us about the true essence of Thanksgiving, as well as to give us a chance to focus on what we're grateful for, what we appreciate about each other and what we're proud of in ourselves.

Here are three things we do:

• When we sit down for our Thanksgiving meal, we go around the table and everyone shares things that they're grateful for. This always puts us in a good mood, reminds us of the good stuff and connects us with each other in a wonderful way.
• At some point (before, during or after our meal), one of us starts and picks someone to acknowledge, letting them know how they've positively impacted our life and what we appreciate about them. That person then "pays it forward" and acknowledges someone else. We keep going until everyone has been appreciated. This activity is moving, fun and such a great way for us to gift the beautiful gift of appreciation to one another.
• We each take some time to ask ourselves, "What do I appreciate about myself?" As we think about, talk about or even write down our answers to this important question, we get in touch with what we're grateful for about ourselves. As we know, all love, appreciation and gratitude starts with us. Our capacity to appreciate ourselves in a genuine way gives us the ability to do that for others.