I smile when I think about my childhood. I grew up in a large family with six kids. We had our quarrels (as most children do), but what stands out most are our backyard adventures and exploring the sea on family vacations. Then there was Christmas morning when we shared stories and our appreciation for one another. For our family, quality time together was the epitome of love.

I moved across the country right after college in 2011. So the holidays, especially Christmas, became the time I anxiously awaited to spend with my family.

Some siblings were lost in video games, some were lost in TV land, and there was zero real connection. We’d lost the focus around what Christmas truly represents to me: love for one another.

So I started the Gratitude Game. I went upstairs and searched for individual photos of my siblings and my parents in their younger years. I grabbed a pack of notecards and called everyone to the kitchen table, the place we spent many nights as a family. I wrote down each person’s name on a notecard. Everyone drew a name, then on a separate card wrote three things that they were grateful for about this person. After that, one person at a time read the three things on their card (without revealing the name). Then the rest of the family put the card next to the photo of the person they believed the card was about.

The result? Smiles, hugs, laughter, and a refocus on what Christmas is really about for us: love. We’ve now made it a tradition every Christmas to play the Gratitude Game, and I know we’ll keep this tradition going for years to come.