Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends and the best home cooked meal imaginable. It’s also a time to remember what you’re thankful for and the wonderful things and people you have in your life. But many people may not have as much to be thankful for.
This year, I’m planning to use Thanksgiving as a time to not only relax with my family, but to give to those who are less fortunate than me. There are many crafty ways to celebrate the feeling of the holiday and start family traditions that help those in need. Using creativity to make something is always rewarding, but using what you made to help people is truly one of the best feelings.
My idea for a crafty way to help people this season is a donation jar. Find a glass jar of any size or style – I chose a Ball Mason jar – and decorate it. I started by making sure the jar was clean and then using tape to make lines across the jar. Scotch painters tape works well for this and you can easily cut the strips smaller if you want. Don’t worry about the taped lines being perfectly straight – details will cover this later. Be sure to press the tape down well so the paint doesn’t drip under it.
These taped-off sections will remain clear on the jar and the untaped sections will be painted. Most acrylic craft paints will work on glass but make sure to read the label first. Be sure to use small brushes so the paint stays within your untaped section and doesn’t bleed into the other colors. I chose fun girly colors for my jar but seasonal colors of red and green would look great too.
After you paint the untaped sections of your jar, leave it for a couple of hours to dry. If the paint looks transparent in spots, simply paint a second coat. Once the paint is completely dry, carefully peel away the tape. Take a black permanent marker and outline the stripes of paint covering any flaws that may have occurred and making the color pop.
Once your jar is painted and dried you can add more decoration if you’d like. Glue on anything from gemstones to paper cut outs, such as the ones used in scrapbooks. Ribbon is also a fun addition that can be easily adhered with craft glue.
Use this jar as a collection of change that you can later donate. Every day in November think about something you’re thankful for and add money to the jar. Once it gets closer to Christmas take the money and use it to support a charity or organization such as Toys for Tots or Coats for Kids. Every little bit helps and it could make the difference in someone’s holiday this year.
If you’re like me and don’t often use cash and therefore do not have much change, be sure to add the money you get by taking cans and bottles back. This change will really add up if you drink a lot of soda.
The jar doesn’t only apply to the winter months and it can be used all year round. In December, think of things that make you joyful. In January, you can use the jar as incentive to stick with New
Year’s resolutions, every day you keep to your resolution add change to the jar. February can represent all of the things that you love in light of Valentine’s Day and so on. A year of collecting change can mean a big donation at the end of the year and it will help you appreciate the things in your life along the way.
This would be a great family tradition to start, especially if you have children or young siblings.
Learning to appreciate things in life and realizing that not everyone has these things is a great lesson for children to learn and for adults to remember.
