Between the crisp fall air, apple picking, and pumpkin spice all-things, the best part of fall may be its launch of the season of gratitude. Thanksgiving provides an ideal opportunity to express gratitude to loved ones, friends, colleagues, and clients. It’s baked into the DNA of the holiday – a time to notice the positive, give thanks for what you have, and express appreciation to those around you.
Research shows that both giving and receiving gratitude have a tangible impact on your physical, emotional, and social health – from boosting immunity and heart health to improving self-esteem, resilience, and sleep quality as well as strengthening relationships and promoting healthier communication styles. Given all the benefits of gratitude, why wouldn’t you amp up your efforts this time of year? Read on for our top tips to do gratitude right this season – whether for far-flung family or next-cubicle neighbors – we got you covered.
- Cultivate your personal gratitude before and during Thanksgiving
You can gain the benefits of gratitude by simply adding a practice of appreciation to your daily life. Recent studies highlight the benefit of keeping a gratitude journal – just taking a moment every day to write down what you are thankful for. For Thanksgiving, you can create a gratitude jar or basket. Write down one thing you are grateful for every day from now until Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving, you and your family (or your friends, or just you) can take out the jar and read each note. Or, try out this short gratitude meditation to help foster those warm feelings of kindness and appreciation.
And don’t forget to incorporate gratitude into Thanksgiving day itself. It doesn’t have to be much – just a moment of listening to and sharing what you are thankful for this year. All of these personal practices may seem awkward at first – but the more you do it, the better it feels. Soon, almost anything can be a source of gratitude.
- Send a clear message of employee appreciation with a Thanksgiving gift
Numerous research studies show that expressing thanks in the workplace leads to employees with fewer sick days, higher job satisfaction, less stress, and fewer health complaints. With that kind of data, it is clear that ensuring you are authentically expressing thanks to your team could make the difference between high turnover and long-term retention.
To express employee appreciation, we recommend sending a clear message with a Thanksgiving gift, like Packed with Purpose’s Gratitude Galore, which features a plethora of tasty treats and supports Black and women-owned businesses, job skill training for women with barriers to employment, waterway conservation, and more. Don’t forget to personalize your message. Authenticity is key to employee appreciation – specific examples from a leader make a world of difference in the personal nature of a corporate gift.
- Can’t be at Thanksgiving in-person? Send a host/hostess gift
If you can’t join friends or family in-person for Thanksgiving, send a gift to delight and support your favorite host. We recommend our gift, Elevated Evening at Home, featuring a beautiful appetizer board and elevated snacks, a homey warm-scented candle, and mixologist-approved cocktail syrup – perfect for entertaining on the big day. Your gift will spark conversation as your host shares how each item makes an impact in supporting reforestation efforts, young mothers in disinvested communities, and more!
Or find another one of our home entertainment holiday gifts, ideal for Thanksgiving by visiting our 2023 Holiday Gift Catalog for Individuals.
- Give the gift of cozy to someone special
Scientists define appreciation as the act of acknowledging the goodness in life, Gratitude goes a step further: It recognizes how the positive things in our lives are often due to forces outside of ourselves, particularly the efforts of other people.
If you have someone – a friend, family member, or close colleague – that has brought positive changes to your life – take a moment to genuinely express your gratitude through something that fits the season – a cozy gift that exudes warmth and kindness, while making a significant social and environmental impact that aligns with their values.
Our holiday catalog contains several cozy suggestions including Fireside Favorites (wrap them up with a warm fleece blanket and warmer hot cocoa), Family Game Night (snacking favorites to fuel game night fun which supports public arts organizations and provides resources to food-insecure families across the country) and Gourmet Hot Chocolate (bringing good vibes to a fall fire with gourmet s’more accouterments that supports women-owned businesses, hunger relief efforts, and more).
- Surprise clients and prospects with the gift of gratitude
Your clients and prospects will be swarmed with December gifts. Stand out from the glut of winter goodies with “thanks-themed” gifts instead. Beyond our holiday best sellers, Packed with Purpose offers several “gratitude” themed gift baskets that will make a bold professional statement and beat others to the punch! Coupled with a heartfelt personalized message (try our new video greetings to make it extra personal and say thank you face to face), your Thanksgiving gift can strengthen your professional relationships in a way that other forms of communication cannot.
From Many Thanks (a delicate mix of tasty treats that support empowerment for girls, agricultural diversity, and women- and diverse-owned businesses) to Holiday Sweet Thanks (a sweet and savory combo that supports Monarch butterfly conservation, ovarian cancer research, and job opportunities for chronically unemployed women) to Thoughtful Wishes (a crowd-pleaser that supports woman- and diverse-owned businesses, animal welfare efforts, and eliminating food waste).
You can even add a branded item so the good vibes last beyond the fall.
- Keep it going
Gratitude is a practice. It feels good to give it and it feels good to receive it. This Thanksgiving is a perfect excuse to build up a practice of gratitude with gifts, personal messages, and your own daily experiences. But, the long-term benefits of gratitude come with time. So let this be a start to a new ongoing, authentic habit of cultivating your personal appreciation and consistently expressing thanks to others who may be responsible for the good things in your work, your family and your life.
So, send the gift now, but follow up in December to make sure they loved it and to reiterate your message of thanks. Build a gratitude jar for 2023 and read it on New Year’s 2024. Each month, reach out to a friend with three things you appreciate about them. Before you know it, gratitude will be so ingrained in your life, you won’t even notice all the benefits that come from regularly practicing it.
At Packed with Purpose, we are so grateful for our partners, customers, colleagues, friends, and family. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving.
