The holidays are here and the countdown to the end of the year is near! Make the most of the end of this year. Here are 5 ways to spread holiday cheer.
5 Ways to spread holiday cheer:
1. Count your blessings.
To me, Thanksgiving marks a shift in the seasons. I am personally not big on celebrating Thanksgiving now that we live far away from our families. I used to enjoy the opportunity to share a meal with loved ones and friends. Now I spend Thanksgiving counting my blessings. When we are in a state of feeling grateful, the stress and depression seems to lessen (at least for me it does.)
I also count my blessings in the morning as a way of practicing positive affirmations. This helps me get my day started on a positive note! Give it a try and if you start feeling sad or down think of one of the blessings that you wrote down.
2. Do something nice for someone.
Little acts of kindness count and go a long way. Compliment the first 2 people you see today. Send a good morning text to friends. Pay it backwards by paying for the coffee of the person behind you in line. Leave a positive comment on your favorite blog or YouTube channel. Do the dishes. Go out of your way to do something kind today!
3. Start a new family tradition.
Holidays are a wonderful time to start traditions. You don’t even have to have a traditional family to enjoy new traditions. By this, I mean that even if you live alone or don’t have family nearby; you can still enjoy the joy that comes from a new tradition. Go solo and make new friends or invite a friend to join you!
Volunteer at your local soup kitchen. Adopt a family in need and create a gift basket for them. Participate in your local toy drive. Go Christmas caroling. Growing up my cousins and I loved making ginger bread houses at Grandma’s the day after Thanksgiving.
Try a new and fun activity. I highly recommend hula hooping. It is something fun that everyone can try.
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4. Sing songs and play cheerful music.
Singing is uplifting and it encourages us to breathe deeply. Even if you believe that you “cannot” sing; you should still give it a try because it will raise your vibration. And if you don’t feel confident in your voice, turn up the tunes and rock out!
This time of year, it feels like Christmas music is playing everywhere. I was honestly a little shocked to see the Christmas decorations on shelves the day after Halloween. Also, I feel like they started playing the Christmas music earlier this year. I have been holding out at least until Black Friday.
5. Send out Christmas cards.
This one is my favorite because I am on a mission to keep the art of writing handwritten letters alive. So snag a set of Christmas cards or take out your pretty paper and stickers and have fun creating your own cards. This can even become a fun holiday tradition that you share with friends and family. You don’t have to write a novel. Just write something short and sweet from the heart.
Often times, people feel stressed around the holidays. Tensions are high as everyone is preparing meals and getting ready for gatherings and planning out their holiday shopping.
I know that in the past, I used to worry about gaining weight over the holidays. It seems to be a hot topic this time of the year. This year I am trying something new. I’m going to focus less on how my body looks and more on the wonderful things that it can do!
Remember to be kind to yourself throughout this season. Worrying will not make the stress go away. It will only amplify the things that could go wrong. Instead, try to stay present and focus on making happy memories.
I hope you will have happy, safe, and fun holidays this year!
ā¤ Whisper
