There’s no better chance to express gratitude than during the holidays; it’s when you reconnect with distant family and friends to catch up and enjoy one another’s company. When you express gratitude for the blessings you have, including your loved ones and your accomplishments is not only a healthy exercise, but it’s also a great way to rekindle your relationship with others. Without further ado, here are great ways you can express how grateful you are in the holidays.
Make It a Habit
Being grateful should never be a performative act; it should always come from the heart. Gratitude exercises help you process what you want to retain in your life and what you need to change. Make it a habit to write a list of 3 things or people that you’re grateful for right before bed; it’s an effective way of ingraining these thoughts in your subconscious and will eventually reward you with a more positive outlook on your life. When you do this regularly, your expression of gratitude will become far more genuine and you’ll find yourself more expressive of what exactly you’re grateful for.
Be Specific
Instead of telling your loved ones that you’re happy to have them in your life, be more specific. When the holidays come around, make sure you list what exactly makes you appreciative of the people around you. For instance, a friend of yours could be a good listener, and you should accordingly credit their efforts to support you instead of sending them a vague note. When you’re more specific, your note, card, or message comes off as more sincere.
Use Cards
Although it’s better to be specific, that doesn’t mean you can’t be grateful for having distant relatives in your life. If you don’t converse with a distant loved one often and want to express your appreciation of them, there’s no better way to do it than with a DIY thank-you card. It may sound cliché, but it never fails to put a smile on the recipient’s face. You can use blank cards and personalize them, or as The Write Greeting recommends that you host a dinner for thanksgiving, send out a popcorn basket with fireworks for the 4th of July, or personalize a gift basket and send it out to an old friend. Make sure to steer clear from templates, as they easily get forgotten most likely stored away with junk before they’re thrown out.
Quality Time
Actions are certainly louder than words, so being grateful by showing it rather than saying it is the best way to do it without your closest loved ones. If there’s an anniversary coming up, you can take your loved one on a trip to where you first met. If you have an old friend who’s coming to town just to see you, recap the good old times by watching your favorite movie while munching on your favorite snacks together. A simple thank-you card is not enough when the recipient is someone you share a deep connection with, so make sure to show them how much you cherish them with some quality time to remind them just how much you’re grateful for having them in your life.
Send out Gifts
Gifts don’t have to be personal if you’re sending them out in bulk. Instead of asking each individual what they would like for the holidays, opt for flowers, chocolate, a fruit basket, or a fruit cake. These kinds of gifts usually come at special prices if you’re purchasing more than one package, and they make great gifts for professional connections. You can send them out to a previous boss, your staff, or distant relatives that always remember to contact you on special occasions.
Listen to Them
When it comes to holidays like father’s and mother’s days, you need to be a lot more thoughtful than sending out a gift bag. Aside from spending quality time with them, it’s best to ask them what they want. Older folks are usually not fond of surprises, and a Body Splash Kit or yet another watch you buy for either of your parents can feel depersonalized and insincere. Parents love DIY gifts because they appreciate effort far more than money. However, if you have some cash saved up for them, make sure to listen about what they need or want and gift it for them shortly after.
The art of being grateful is one that needs some effort and time to master, and it all starts by counting your own blessings. Make it a habit to express gratitude on a daily for everything you feel blessed to have, and you’ll soon notice the impact it has on your relationships and those around you. If you’re sending out cards or gifts, make sure to steer clear from templates and to personalize your gifts based on the individual in question.