5 Family Conversation Starters about Gratitude and Generosity

Have you noticed that good givers are often good receivers, too? Anything we give away, we first received from God. During the holidays, family traditions often present many opportunities to practice gratitude and generosity. This Thanksgiving, while your family sits down at the table, consider expanding the conversation beyond what you’re each thankful for. Use these conversation starters to connect with your family and explore how gratitude and generosity work together.

Create space for conversation

Maybe your family already has a tradition of expressing gratitude around the Thanksgiving table each year. If not, this may be a good year to start!

No matter when your family explores these questions together, be clear about your desire to talk more deeply about gratitude and generosity.

Start the conversation

Set the tone by sharing honestly yourself and invite everyone to do the same. Ask follow-up questions and remain open to differences and disagreement. Even where differences exist, you may be able to find common ground in your experiences, motivations, or goals.

If you want some additional questions or alternatives to, “What are you thankful for?” (although it is not a bad place to start), consider asking:

• Share about a time you received something you didn’t deserve. How did it make you feel?
• What is the most meaningful gift you have received, tangible or intangible? What made it special?
• Who is the most generous person you know? What makes them that way?
• If you could pick one problem in the world to solve, what would it be? Do you know of anyone who is also working to solve this problem?
• What strength, gift, or talent do you have that you could share with others? Do you have ideas for how to share that gift in the next week/month?

Gratitude and generosity, like most core values, are often caught rather than taught.

What next?

You may find topics you want to pursue further with your family. Do you have more shared interests than you realized? Is there a charity you all could support this year? Is there a volunteer event happening soon that aligns with your skills?