Instilling the Season of Gratitude
The holidays are not just a time of opening presents and gift giving, though especially for the younger generation, this season can often be misconstrued as that.
As parents, my kids’ dad and I try to emphasize the importance of spending time with loved ones and that life itself is the greatest gift to celebrate. In order to help instill the understanding of this, I’ve implemented some changes to how we look at things. Maybe some of these ideas may resonate with what you do now or help to add some new ideas within your own celebrations.
We receive gifts every single day. We can sometimes overlook or minimize the actions of others. Some examples include cooking a loved ones favourite meal, taking note of someone who feels unnoticed, taking a moment to read a story with your children, playing a round of hide a seek, or letting someone else control the TV. If you’re like my household, we tend not to wait for special occasions to get things if it’s in our ability to fill a need or desire at that moment, so impromptu “gift giving”, if you want to call it that is a regular. We just see it as using small deeds to acknowledge each other.
Wrapped gifts at their core are really just boxes and paper that end up in the recycling bin. Now, hear me out, because wrapping gifts is something I’m passionate about and something I used to emphasize taking extra care to do (if I had more time, I would definitely allocate more towards this). Keep in mind though that all of this is solely for appearance. I once wrapped a small M&M pack in multiple newspapers and at the end covered it in pretty wrapping, which looked like I was giving a huge present, much to the disappointment of my sister, proving that the external is not what counts the most! PLEASE NOTE: I was only 10 at the time, so no hate mail please!!
Each gift is part of a bigger collaboration. When you think from the perspective of how you came into possession of a gift or meal, it tells a greater story. Whether you’re like my daughter Arize who loves her some French fries, at its inception is the farmer who grew the potatoes that were harvested long before they turned into the delicious snack she lathers with ketchup. My son, X’s Switch console has an even broader dynamic when you consider the scope of geographical boundaries for parts and specialists involved. The end user doesn’t often have enough understanding of the lengths it takes and the people we are dependent upon (I see you mail carriers and courier drivers 😉) to be able to enjoy the final gift in hand.
Gratitude starts first with having a mentality of appreciation. Cultivating this mentality with my own children comes through engaging them to apply appreciation verbally. Before each gift is opened (as they open one each day), they take a turn sharing one thing that they are grateful for that is not wrapped. It presents an opportunity for reflection for what they’ve received in the past and encourages continued appreciation into the future. It honestly also brings many smiles to faces when they recall some of their fondest memories.
There are so many ways that we can really deepen our relationships with one another during the holidays whether they’re spent together in person or virtually. I’d love to hear some of the ways you do this with your loved ones!
Whatever it is you’re celebrating during this season we wish you and yours -
More Love, More Light, More Life,
