Last year when I wrote my Art of Gratitude course, there were some disbelievers about Lesson 3, which focused on being grateful for the not-so great things about life.  I had to convince these doubters that it’s possible to find a kernel of gratitude in even the worst of things, such as being sick, losing a job, or having a relationship end.

Still not convinced, we would do a small battle:  they would throw out ideas, and I would tell them why I was grateful for whatever they threw my way.  In this manner, The Gratitude Game was born.

At the Thanksgiving table If you are hanging with friends or family this holiday weekend, give it a whirl.  It will be entertaining at worst, and enlightening at best!

I’ll give you the rules, but since I made this up, you can feel free to tweak it to fit the needs of your group.  It does sound pretty benign at first, but as the players loosen up and get more creative, the game could get silly, poignant, revealing or just a bit crazy.

The Gratitude Game

Supplies:
3 or more players of any age (Mixed generations are the best!)
Notepad and pencil/pen for scoring
A spoon for each person (or other type of trinket to be used for voting)

The player with a birthday closest to Thanksgiving Day is the first Starter, then it goes around the circle in  clockwise direction (though a circle is not really necessary).  A volunteer keeps score.

The Play:  Player one (The Starter) announces something to be grateful for, such as “trees.”  The player to the left must say WHY he/she is grateful for that item/person/situation.  The other players, in turn, must also say why they are grateful for (in this case, trees).  After everyone says why they are grateful, each player votes by putting their spoons in front of the person they think had the best reason to be grateful.  The person who wins the vote gets an extra point.  The next round begins when player no. 2 becomes the new Starter and announces something new to be grateful for.   Play continues around the group until someone wins.

Rules:  Each player must declare one of three things in every round:

  • State why they are grateful for the stated item/person/situation (score a point)
  • Say “ditto” to someone else’s idea if they have the same reason as another player (originator of the idea scores a point; player who said ditto gets nothing)
  • Pass because they cannot think of any reason to be grateful (subtract a point)

Tom and Anne and dog farts?The Challenge:  As the starter ideas get more far-fetched and crazy, it might be difficult to think of a reason to be grateful.  This may induce a player to make up a crazy answer.  For example, if the topic is “dog farts” the player might say “I’m grateful for dog farts because they smell good.”  Any other player has the right to challenge the sincerity of the gratitude by blurting out “I don’t buy it!”  The player then has to explain their “gratitude” in more detail, making a case for why it’s earnest.  The group then votes for either the player or the challenger.  If the player prevails, he/she receives a point for the gratitude plus a BONUS point for the challenge.  If the challenger prevails, he/she receives the “challenge point” and the player receives nothing.

Strategy Ideas:  When you are the starter, try think of unlikely or strange things to be grateful for (such as rude drivers, the flu or blisters on your feet).  This will cause your fellow players to have to think hard and be more creative about gratitude.  When you are stating your gratitude, you can phrase your answer in a way that might draw a challenge, thus giving you the chance to tell an interesting story AND win a challenge point.  Finally, the more players you have, the more creative the answers will be since there is no repeating of ideas.

To Win:  The first player to reach 50 points wins.

If you decide to play, please, PLEASE tell me how it went!  What was funny, what was creative, and most of all, were you all able to think of a way to be grateful for ANYthing?

 

Forward/Share this with someone you think might play The Gratitude Game this Thanksgiving.