As we make our way toward the festive season of celebration, family, and food, it can be the perfect time to acknowledge all that we truly appreciate in our lives. Taking note of all that we have available to us, things we sometimes take for granted. Gratitude can be seen as a muscle, and the more we 'exercise' that muscle, the more of it we can cultivate in our lives. From now until the new year, we mark the beginning of this family challenge, the "Family Gratitude Jar.” 

How to participate: 

1. The setup: Find a jar or container and place it in a noticeable place in your home, along with a notepad and pen beside it. You may even choose to decorate it as a family to make it eye-catching, with pictures, markers, paint, or ribbon.
2. The challenge: Every day, for the rest of the year 2023, everyone in the family will write down something they are grateful for on a piece of paper and put it in the jar. As the challenge continues, your gratitude jar will fill up with notes, becoming a tangible representation of the positive moments in your family's life.
3. The rules: As a rule, no critical notes are allowed. Even on challenging days, we look to find the positivity and something, however small, that we are grateful for.
4. The celebration: On New Year's Day, the first day of 2024, gather together as a family and take turns reading out the gratitude shares from the jar.
5. The reflection: After each share, take a moment to discuss how it made you feel and why it is something you feel grateful for. This can be a time to encourage meaningful conversations as a family and to notice how gratitude has made an impact on your family's life. 

This may be something enjoyed for the duration of the challenge, or you may decide to make it an ongoing practice. Perhaps providing a weekly share throughout the year that is then honoured on the first day of every year, as a family. Ready, get set, go!