Make Gratitude Part of Your Holiday Tradition

A daily affirmation of gratitude could not only get your December started right, you could easily carry it into 2021 as part of a great year.

Some people take the month of November to say what they are thankful for every day, but you might have missed this time. It’s not too late, you can show gratitude every day and make it part of your holiday tradition from now through the New Year.

How Can You Show an Expression of Thankfulness

Being thankful for something doesn’t mean you have to spend money or make a big show, you can simply tell another person that you are grateful they are in your life. You can do this for yourself with things you’re glad to have while also thanking those who are in your life. If you’re not sure how to do this, you’re in luck, here are some great tips to help you show gratitude.

Gratitude Exercises

1. Take Regular Breathing Breaks

Your holiday time could mean you have a small gathering in your home or you have a large meeting on Zoom. During this time, there may be some relatives that make your blood boil with their views and opinions. This is a good time to step away from the chaos and find another item to focus on. You can do this in person or on zoom and do something else like look at the world around you or the holiday lights you put on your home. Relieve your stress and be thankful for your own views.

2. Make a List of What You’re Thankful For

What makes you thankful? What are the blessings in your life? You could take just ten minutes every day to be thankful for something and write it down. This could be the start of your own gratitude journal, which is something you can open and read whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.

3. Start a Gratitude Jar

This could be a family activity. Ask your family to write something they are thankful for on a slip of paper and then open the jar on New Year’s Day to read the notes aloud as a way to remember what they are grateful for. This is a great way to begin the next year and a fantastic activity to make your holiday season better than ever.

4. Perform Random Acts of Kindness

If you’re blessed enough to have more than you need, you can give back and show your gratitude for these blessings by performing random acts of kindness. This could be as little as paying for the meal for the person behind you in the drive-thru to volunteering at a soup kitchen. The more you can do for others that they aren’t aware of, the better you will feel about yourself.

5. Keep Your Expectations Realistic

Have you ever had a perfect holiday? Do you think there is such a thing? You aren’t living in a Hallmark movie and even those films offer a bit of turmoil during the holiday scenes that are presented. Forget the high expectations and be more realistic. It’s also important to go with the flow and let things happen as they need to in order to give you an experience that can be great and enjoyed by everyone. The more relaxed you feel, the better your holiday season will be.

6. Teach Kids About Gratitude

This year, more than any other in recent history is a great year to teach kids how to focus on the positive and enjoy the things they have. Teach your children about gratitude and let them know why it’s so important to be grateful for what you have. Kids, especially those who lost some of what they expected to have this year, need to understand how to focus on the positive and leave the negative behind, especially when they have no control over it.

7. Be Kind and Patient with Yourself

Have you made a mistake during a holiday meal? Did you forget to bake a favorite item before one of the special moments? Don’t beat yourself up. It doesn’t do any good to give yourself a hard time when you’re trying to fit so much into the days that you have before the holidays arrive. Be kind to yourself and be patient with what you do. Laugh at your errors and get beyond them. Your family and friends aren’t going to be upset with you; don’t be hard on yourself.

8. Write Thank You Notes

You can buy some great stationery and write out some thank you notes to others who have done or given you things that make a difference in your life. You can write texts for some of the small things that happen every day, but nothing has the same impact of gratitude as a hand-written thank you note that you send to your friends and family.