Wishing you all a fabulous American holiday with your families and friends. One of my favorite traditions on this Thursday is a little thankful thing we do at our (30+ people) dinner. Before we sit down to eat, I hand a piece of paper and a pen to each person.

Everyone then writes down three things they are thankful for (no names), and someone collects the papers and places one under each plate. When we sit down, we each read the piece of paper under our plate and try to figure out who it is, which is usually not hard. Then everyone claps and there are hugs and kisses, and we move on to the next reading.

Naturally, this can take over 20 minutes with my large family, but it is so endearing and worth it.

Often, we are so caught up in our own lives and playing the catch-up game at the holidays with those we haven’t seen (or trying to cook or keep all of the dogs under control or feed the baby or watch the game), that we fail to verbalize to the people we are with how grateful we are for them.

Be happy for your family and friends—those who love you unconditionally. Their emotional support is not something you can buy.

Be thankful for the small things (that really are very big things, as Sandy reminded us)—like a roof, heat, hot water, electricity—that you are fortunate enough to have.

In addition to my awesome family and my closest friends, I’m thankful for all of you Jersey City-zens who’ve reached out and helped me connect our community, so that we can build our local businesses and support our great city. Since I started this site six months ago, I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many of you who keep this city alive and thriving. You’ve also brightened many of my days without knowing it; you crack me up. What a great place to live.

 

Take some time to give some thanks,
JCG