Thanksgiving and the winter holidays are coming up, so everyone is in the giving mood! Maybe you would like to show someone why you’re thankful to know him or her. Or maybe you want to keep track of the things you are thankful for in a Thankfulness Box.

Either way, origami—the Japanese art of paper folding—is a great way to get crafty!

This box is called the masu box. A long time ago, people in Japan used to store their rice in wooden masu boxes. You don’t have to store rice in these paper boxes, but you can keep other keepsakes in it. I think these are great for holding candy, erasers, or buttons!

Here’s an idea: since Thanksgiving is coming up, why not start writing down on little slips of paper the things you are thankful for in life? Try coming up with one each day until Thanksgiving—it sounds like a lot, but there are a lot of things to be thankful for in this world!

After you write it down, fold it up and store it in your masu box. You can get your family to try this too! Then on Thanksgiving, sit down with your  family and all of you can share what’s inside your Thankfulness Boxes.

Another thing you can do is think of someone who means a lot to you in life, such as a grandparent, teacher, or best friend. Write a  note about why you are thankful to have this person in your life. Put it inside the origami box along with a momento, such as a photograph or friendship bracelet. Surprise that person with your giftbox!

I think the web site Paper Crane gives clear instructions and good illustrations on how to fold the masu box . Click here to see them.

The Netflix Origami website also shows you a cool way to recycle “junk paper” and make a masu box with a lid! It has a lot of helpful pictures that make it easy to follow as well. Check it out here!

To whom do you plan on giving your super neat giftbox? What are you thankful for this year?