Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

I’m breaking my self-imposed blogging hiatus this week to announce my November: Thirty Days of Gratitude Project.  I did this last year on Facebook; this year, it’s moving to the blog.

What is it?  Well, I started it because I was annoyed by the Christmas advertising and store displays that appeared before Halloween.  I think that such promotions encourage us to think past November to Christmas and gift-giving, and we overlook or give short shrift to Thanksgiving.

I have always loved Thanksgiving.  When I was a kid, we always had two Thanksgiving dinners: one the night before Thanksgiving at my great aunt and great uncle’s house (my great aunt was like a grandmother to me) with the big family crowd, and then one with my mom, brother, aunt, uncle, and two cousins.  The food was amazing, and we always laughed a lot.

In addition, Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for the wonderful lives we have.  Even when facing adversity, there is comfort in being with family and friends.  I try to always express gratitude for the blessings in my life, but Thanksgiving is a day specifically set aside for just that.

So, upon being inundated with Christmas stuff before Halloween, I thought: what if I didn’t succumb to the Christmas promotions yet?  What if we took a breath after Halloween and focused on being thankful for a whole month?  I was encouraged when I saw this ad:

And, with that, the Thirty Days of Gratitude Project began.

Please join me, starting on November 1. Each day, I will talk about something I am thankful for – small or large, silly or serious.  In fact, you can grab a button to show you are participating, too:

Start thinking about for what you are grateful and share throughout November!