When you walk through the stores this season, you might be overwhelmed with the plethora of decorations available for Halloween, and how Christmas merchandise is available earlier and earlier. But it’s hard for retailers to promote consumerism for a holiday whose purpose is to be grateful for the life and things God has already given you. You will find a few things to buy for Thanksgiving, but here is my suggestion for making your own Thanksgiving Tree decoration, either for your Sunday School classroom or your own living room.
One prominent feature of the season is the changing colors of the trees. I wanted to make something to capture the beauty of autumn on a bulletin board inside my Sunday School classroom while giving the students an opportunity to give thanks to God in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. This decoration will grow in size and beauty while it changes colors over time as you praise the Lord for who He is, what He has done, and how generous He is.
How to Create Your Own Thanksgiving Tree Decoration:
The Trunk: Prepare a large space on the wall. Bulletin boards are convenient for stapling the leaves securely to the tree, but I’ve used painter tape that holds up the decorations for the season without leaving permanent marks on the walls. If you have access to brown kraft paper, you could cut out the entire tree trunk shape in one piece, but I’ve found it more interesting to tear strips of brown paper (construction or old paper bags) to form the thick trunk in the middle with roots spreading wide at the bottom and branches reaching up and out at the top. Add an explanatory label to the trunk such as, “We Thank God For…”
The Leaves: Cut out lots of leaves, approximately three inches in diameter, using colored paper in various fall colors including light green, dark green, yellow, orange and red. To better capture the changing of the season, use the light and dark green ones first, then as time goes by, incorporate the other colors with the changing season. On each leaf, someone writes something that they are thankful for. The more things, the more leaves, the better! If children need a prompt, I have discovered that they usually have lots of ideas in three basic categories: people (family and friends), stuff (home, food and toys) and Jesus (which includes many spiritual blessings). Adults might include on their gratitude list answered prayer and trials when God’s attributes were on display.
The Big Picture: This large decoration makes a large impact. On the bulletin board of the Sunday School classroom, students will practice giving thanks for their personal blessings from God while seeing the magnitude of God’s generosity to all people. You can extend the impact by making placemats with a tree and leaves for students to take home. If you make a Thanksgiving Tree at home, invite visitors to be an integral part of your Thanksgiving by adding a leaf or two about what they are thankful for. Each day this November, you have a great big reminder of God’s goodness to inspire your prayers and encourage your heart.
At this time of year, I like to buy paper napkins with Bible verses about giving thanks. How do you like to celebrate and decorate for Thanksgiving?
This article was originally posted in October 2018 and November 2019.
Kristen Harper Books and Bible Studies 