By Robert Bolar · Ivins, Utah
Updated · Research checked against original sources
Thanksgiving is the one day a year when a whole country is invited to stop and give thanks. But the gratitude can get lost between the cooking, the travel, and the football. These ideas help bring it back to the table, whether you’re hosting twenty relatives or sharing a quiet meal for two.
20 Thanksgiving gratitude questions for the table
Print these, cut them into cards, and put one at each plate or pass a bowl around after dinner.
- What’s something from this year you didn’t expect to be grateful for?
- Who is someone not at this table that you’re thankful for?
- What’s a Thanksgiving memory that makes you smile?
- What is something that someone at this table did for you this year?
- What’s a small thing that made a big difference this year?
- What’s a tradition you hope we never stop?
- What’s a skill you’re grateful someone taught you?
- What’s the best advice you got this year?
- What’s something about where we live that you appreciate?
- Who made a hard time easier for you?
- What food on this table has a story?
- What’s a lesson from a tough moment this year?
- What are you grateful for that money can’t buy?
- Who was your favorite teacher, and why?
- What’s something you’re looking forward to next year?
- What’s an everyday thing you’d really miss if it disappeared?
- What’s a kindness from a stranger you remember?
- What’s something about yourself you’re grateful for this year?
- (For kids) What’s the best part of being in this family?
- (For everyone) Finish the sentence: “I’m thankful for you because…” and say it to the person on your left.
Thanksgiving gratitude activities
- Gratitude tablecloth: Lay a plain cloth and markers on the table. Each year, guests write what they’re thankful for and sign it. Bring it out every year.
- Thankful tree: Hang paper leaves on branches in a vase. Guests write on a leaf as they arrive.
- Gratitude jar reading: Fill a jar during November and read the slips aloud after dinner.
- Place-card notes: Write a short, specific note of thanks to each guest and tuck it under their plate.
- The empty-chair toast: Raise a glass for people who couldn’t be there, or who have passed.
- Thank the cook, specifically: Name a dish and what you loved about it.
- November gratitude challenge: Start our 30-Day Gratitude Challenge on November 1 or on Thanksgiving itself.
Thanksgiving gratitude games for kids
- Gratitude alphabet: Go around the table from A to Z, naming something you’re thankful for. See our A–Z gratitude list.
- Thankful pass: Pass a small object, like a mini pumpkin or a pinecone. Whoever holds it shares one thing before passing it on.
- Guess who’s grateful: Everyone writes one thing they’re grateful for on a slip. Read them aloud and guess who wrote each one.
- One-minute gratitude round: Set a timer. Everyone has to name as many things as they can before it goes off.
More family ideas: gratitude for kids.
A simple, inclusive Thanksgiving blessing
For tables with people of many faiths or none, here is an original blessing anyone can say:
For the food before us, and the hands that grew it, carried it, and cooked it, we are grateful.
For the people around this table, and the people we wish were here, we are grateful.
For the good in this past year, and the strength that carried us through the hard parts, we are grateful.
May we remember those who have less, and share what we’ve been given. Amen, or simply, thank you.
Families who pray before meals may prefer their own tradition’s words. Our Spiritual Thoughts on Gratitude include brief, verified passages from many faiths.
Thanksgiving proclamations: words worth reading aloud
The tradition of a national day of thanks runs through American history. George Washington issued a Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789. Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation helped establish the holiday on the last Thursday of November. In 1941, Congress set it as the fourth Thursday of November. (National Archives, “Congress Establishes Thanksgiving”) These lines are quoted from the original proclamations:
“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added…”
Thanksgiving Proclamation, Oct. 3, 1863 Verified source
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”
Proclamation 3560, Thanksgiving Day, 1963 Verified source
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor…”
Thanksgiving Proclamation, Oct. 3, 1789 Verified source
More in verified gratitude quotes.
Keeping gratitude going after Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a great day to start a habit that lasts all year. Begin a gratitude journal that night, set a daily reminder, or write one gratitude letter before December.
Common questions
What are good Thanksgiving gratitude questions?
Try “What’s something from this year you didn’t expect to be grateful for?”, “Who is someone not at this table that you’re thankful for?”, and “What’s a tradition you hope we never stop?” This page has 20 printable questions.
How do you bring gratitude to the Thanksgiving table?
Pass around question cards, use a gratitude tablecloth or thankful tree, write place-card notes to each guest, or say a short blessing that includes everyone at the table.
What is a non-religious Thanksgiving blessing?
A simple option: “For the food before us and the hands that made it, for the people around this table and those we wish were here, we are grateful.” Our full inclusive blessing is on this page.
When did Thanksgiving become a national holiday?
Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation helped establish a national day of thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November. In 1941, Congress set the federal holiday on the fourth Thursday of November, according to the National Archives.
Sources
Every study below was checked against its publisher or PubMed record. Links open the original.
- U.S. National Archives, Center for Legislative Archives. Congress establishes Thanksgiving. www.archives.gov/legislative/features/thanksgiving