Gratitude Jar Ideas: How to Make a Manifestation Jar

Practicing gratitude is a powerful manifestation method, and a gratitude jar is a great way to make this part of your daily routine.

I have different ways of practicing gratitude, for example, with my gratitude list.

But one way has become my absolute favorite in the last few years: Creating notes of gratitude and adding them to my manifestation jar.

So, let’s get started with my top gratitude jar ideas so that you can start your own.

infographic how to make a gratitude jar

What is a Gratitude Jar (And Why You Should Use One)

I don’t care much about celebrating NYE, and instead of making New Year’s resolutions only once a year, I consciously set goals throughout the year.

I think there’s something to celebrate every day, not just at the end of the year, especially when you understand how to manifest the life you love.

But then I started this habit a few years ago, and it’s become a little New Year’s tradition in our house to start a new years gratitude jar.

a couple sitting on their sofa, celebrating the new year, in front of them is a gratitude jar

A gratitude jar is a manifestation exercise where you add notes of gratitude to a container of your choice.

Every day throughout the year, my husband Tom and I write down one thing that went especially well that day, one for which we are grateful.

And at the end of the year, we open these notes and read them out loud together.

Our grateful jar became something very special because it’s not just a great gratitude exercise; it’s also a lovely way to connect.

This annual reminder is very helpful in seeing the big picture. A POSITIVE big picture.


  • Pro Tip: No matter how things go, and how difficult a situation can be, if you focus on the ‘small’ things that actually do go well, it helps you to deal with the more difficult things in life. Your subconscious will not know the difference, it will only notice the ’emotion.’

You can start this new habit at the beginning of a new year or sometime during the year (how about a monthly jar of gratitude that you read through at the end of each month?) – this little habit can help you have a great year.

Because the more you focus on the good things in your life, the more of them you attract.

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Gratitude Jar Design – How to Make Your Own Manifestation Jar

You can go all in with your gratitude jar DIY project or keep it simple. More important is using your manifestation jar for your daily gratitude practice (more on that later).

But to make it easier for you, here is a basic supply list:

  • A Jar or Vase (we use a mason jar for our)
  • Paper, post-it notes or cards
  • Ribbon or rubber bands
  • Pen or printer (handwritten notes are better, IMO)
  • Anything to decorate the jar

Different gratitude jar ideas

Here are a few different gratitude jar design ideas for you to get inspired:

Christmas Gratitude Jar

How about a Christmas-themed gratitude jar? Think of lots of glitter, golden foil paper, or traditional red and green.

You could create this jar specifically for December to blend in with your other Christmas decorations.

a christmas gratitude jar
a christmas gratitude jar
a christmas gratitude jar

New Year Gratitude Jar

Or how about a jar specifically designed to be opened on New Year’s Eve? That’s the kind of jar we use in our house. Make it festive by adding some glitter and gold, or even write Happy New Year on the jar.

new years gratitude jar
new years gratitude jar
new years gratitude jar

Thanksgiving Gratitude Jar

If there is a perfect time to practice gratitude, it has to be Thanksgiving. Create a jar with a Thanksgiving theme and let the entire family fill it during the year.

Then, when you all sit around the table, enjoying your turkey, open it up and read the notes out loud.

thanksgiving gratitude jar
thanksgiving gratitude jar
thanksgiving gratitude jar

Family Gratitude Jar

A family gratitude jar can be fun to design but also a great bonding exercise. You could, for example, use different colored paper for each family member.

This is a great way to teach your kids to be grateful for even the small things in life—a very precious skill.

family gratitude jar
family gratitude jar
family gratitude jar

Gratitude Jar for Couples

The last design idea I like to share with you is the couple’s gratitude jar. Similar to the family gratitude jar, you could play around with different colored papers or use heart-shaped paper.

A fun twist to this kind of jar is to write down ONE reason every day why you are grateful for the other.

Gratitude Jar for Couples
Gratitude Jar for Couples
Gratitude Jar for Couples

  • Pro Tip: If you plan this new gratitude practice together with your partner or as a family gratitude jar, use different colored notes. Everyone gets their color. You can also use different colors for different days or areas of your life.

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How to Use a Gratitude Jar in Your Daily Manifestation Routine

Starting a gratitude jar is a great idea to add more gratitude to your daily manifestation routine.

As you just learned, all you need are paper notes, a pen, and some kind of container where you can keep the notes—for example, a Mason Jar. 

Every day, you write down something you are thankful for that day, crumple the note (or roll it and fix it with a ribbon or some string), and throw it into the jar.

a gratitude jar

As mentioned above, it doesn’t matter how big or small the thing you are thankful for is. It’s all about the emotions you experience.

So don’t worry if you can’t find enough things to be thankful for throughout the year. It doesn’t always have to be the new house, the big pay raise, or other great news.

Practicing gratitude signals to your subconscious mind that your life is ‘already’ great, and because, like attracts like, your subconscious will find more things for your great life to be even better.

That’s really how the law of attraction works.

The cool thing is that your subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between being happy about something small and being happy about something huge. It’s all about the emotion.

So, when you write and add your gratitude notes to your jar, ensure you truly feel the gratitude.

Don’t just mindlessly add notes to the jar for the sake; try to celebrate it each time and make the feeling of gratitude big and strong.

Gratitude Jar Prompts to Inspire You

One thing I learned in the 15+ years of helping women to manifest big dreams – so many overthink manifestation exercises such as gratitude.

As I just mentioned, your gratitude jar message can be anything, but if you get stuck, here are a few prompts to get you going with your gratitude jar activity.

gratitude jar prompts
  1. Name something that made you smile today.
  2. What’s a small win you had recently?
  3. Who made your day better, and how?
  4. What’s something beautiful you saw today?
  5. What’s a skill or talent you’re grateful for?
  6. Name a book, movie, or song that brought you joy.
  7. What’s something you’re looking forward to?
  8. What’s a challenge you overcame recently?
  9. Name a place you’re thankful for.
  10. What’s a fond memory you cherish?
  11. What’s something you learned recently?
  12. Who’s someone you’re grateful to have in your life?
  13. A compliment you received that made you feel good?
  14. What’s something in nature you’re thankful for?
  15. What’s a personal quality you like about yourself?

These gratitude jar prompts can help you recognize and appreciate the positive aspects of your daily life; for more ideas, check out my list of 101 things to be grateful for.

signature saying xo mia fox

PS. Don’t forget to go through your gratitude jar notes and read them once in a while; in our house, we love to celebrate this gratitude exercise.

And if you want more help with manifesting your goals, don’t forget to grab your FREE journaling starter kit. It’s not just a great start for your daily gratitude practice; this will also sign you up for my VIP manifestation tips directly into your inbox.

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