‘Tis the season of holidays! Personally, it’s my favourite time of the year, because as they say it’s the most wonderful time of year…
With the constant planning of holiday dinners, gift lists, and for this particular year, trying to make sure how to make the holidays special, it can be hard to make the most of the holidays. With the busy hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we often forget the most important part of the holidays – being thankful, spending time with friends and family, and giving back.
Here are five ways to give your holiday season a meaningful makeover:
1. Give back to your community
Charity is something we all think about but aren’t always actively focusing on. This year especially, with the pandemic, it is more important than ever to support charitable organizations and causes that are close to you. A lot of non-profits are struggling this year and unfortunately many have already had to close their doors. Supporting those in need not only helps the community, but also helps improve your mood, self-esteem, and happiness. You don’t always have to give back monetarily, even volunteering at your local shelter (or equivalent) helps!
2. Create a visual of what you’re grateful for
Sometimes it’s hard to remember all the things you’re grateful for. Or maybe with everything wrong in the world, you sometimes forget to take a moment of gratitude. Gratitude is extremely important as it helps increase mental strength and improves self-esteem, among many other benefits. To see what you have to be grateful for this year, try creating a visual representation of all those moments. One way to do this is by creating a gratitude tree.
3. Make time for friends and family
The one thing I firmly believe what the holidays are intended for is spending time with those close to you, whether it’s friends, family, or pets. Life is constantly on the go, so it is important to take out some time from those busy schedules for those that matter the most. Express with your actions rather than words how much they mean to you. This year you may not be able to gather together to celebrate, so find some time for a video chat or maybe just a phone call.
4. Try a new recipe
I love trying new recipes and the holidays are the perfect time for this! Cooking or baking doesn’t have to be a chore, it can also be a relaxing activity to spend with family. If you have kids, baking and decorating cookies might be a fun activity to do with them. Or you might try a new recipe for Christmas dinner to share with those whom you celebrate with. You might even have some old recipes that your mom or grandma made for you each year, find those and try making those this year!
5. Start new traditions
Traditions are only traditions once they’ve been created. Your family may not have holiday traditions, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create new ones. Traditions can include anything: maybe you decorate your tree together; maybe you play board games with friends; or maybe your family cooks family dinner together. A family tradition can be anything and doesn’t need to be culturally or religiously binding. Find whatever works for you and it can be your new holiday tradition!
Holidays can sometimes feel like a burden or superficial with the urge to please everyone with your gifts or dinner parties. Find new ways to help make the most of your holiday season by making the holidays more meaningful. Remember to make your holidays enjoyable for you, so you come out feeling exactly like how you want to!
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