Celebrating Thankfulness During The Holiday Season
How do I stay thankful when tensions are running high?
Celebrating Thanksgiving, especially with everything that’s happened in the last 5 years, brings new meaning to the word “thankfulness.” When things are going well, it’s easy to define thankfulness in terms of the comforts of your life. But, when you’ve had a tough year, thankfulness becomes a lifestyle of gratitude and appreciation during the holiday season. I’ve learned the best way to show gratitude and appreciation is to serve others. If you’re not sure where to start, hopefully, this list will help:
Reach out to people who are alone during the holiday season
I’ll be the first to say I’ve taken it for granted that I am in a home full of people during the holiday season. Reach out to your single friends and family members to see how they’re doing. If they cannot visit, You can Zoom with them as you eat your Thanksgiving meal and do online watch parties to watch classic holiday movies together- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is our family favorite.
Show your appreciation to front-line workers
Even a few years after Covid-19 became part of our daily conversations, front-line workers, like medical staff, teachers, and retail workers, are still feeling the mental and physical effects of Covid-19. Consider cooking a meal for them or sending them a gift card for meals from organizations like Uber Eats.
Volunteer where you see a need during the Holiday Season
Help out at food banks by donating food, sorting food, packing boxes, or even handing out packages. Reach out to your local food bank and ask where they may need help the most.
Create holiday cards for your neighbors.
Making holiday cards is something my daughter and some of her friends started doing every thanksgiving. They get together, make holiday cards, and pass them out in our neighborhood or leave them on their doorstep. Pinterest has a ton of great DIY card ideas for your kids. Some are as simple as folding a piece of paper and writing “ Happy Thanksgiving” on the front with a simple note on the inside wishing people a happy holiday.
Do not underestimate the power of just being present.
Reach out to someone and commit to doing ½ the talking and twice the listening. We sometimes just need someone to listen, not solve our problems.
Reach out to someone you care about who voted differently.
In the last several years, differences in opinions on just about everything have created a tension that still runs high and has broken relationships.
Start the process of healing broken relationships.
I am not asking for you to agree, but I am asking you to put the love for family and friends above the love of politics. The goal is not to change someone’s mind but to find common ground to build relationships. If you need help, there are a few non-political topics to talk about:
Entertainment- Favorite childhood shows you’ve rediscovered. I’ve revisited childhood favorites like Little House on the Prairie.
Your kids’ reactions while watching your favorite childhood shows.
Future travel plans.
If it still starts to get heated, use me to help during the holiday season. As a black female from New York living in a suburb in Georgia married to a white male from a small town in Georgia, I’ve learned the art of diffusing politically heated conversations.
You can say you read this blog from a veteran. The veteran (me) mentioned that when discussions about politics get heated, she tells people that she took her oath to the U.S. seriously. She was willing to take a bullet to serve the U.S. no matter the president in office. Please respect past and present presidents out of respect for other veterans. Typically, when I say this, people quickly change subjects.
The last few years have brought a lot of challenges but also a lot of opportunities to love others. It’s your choice what you choose to focus on during the holidays.
