So many of us are excited for Thanksgiving break. We all get to be with family and friends, revert to the comforts of our own homes, and break our college routines that we grow so accustomed to over the course of fall semester. This is a great time to catch up with friends, unwind with family, and fill up on some amazing home cooked meals. However, we all must remember the most important part of the holiday that we are celebrating (hint: the answer is in the name). Sure, there may be times on Thanksgiving when you question whether you truly are thankful for having brothers who end up eating ALL of the apple pie before you, but you’re still thankful for these people in your life. Although recognizing what you’re thankful for is so important, actually acting upon this gratitude is even better. Here are some ways you can express gratitude this year.
Volunteer
There are a ton of ways you can volunteer around Thanksgiving. You can run a 5k for a good cause (or just help if you don’t want to put in the physical effort), serve food to people in different circumstances than you, or even go to an assisted living home to chat with some folks around the holidays. There are endless ways to help out in the community, and I promise your acts of kindness will go a long way, especially around this time of year.
Send a Handwritten Note
Gifts are a great way to say thanks to friends and family, but there’s something about giving/receiving a handwritten note that expresses genuine gratitude. A handwritten note doesn’t have to be fancy, or even take a long time to write, just a simple message about what you’re thankful for in a person will do. If you’re away from your family or friends for the holiday, try sending a post card! It’s an easy and thoughtful action to show how much you care about them, and how thankful that these people are in your life.
Make Dinner with the Fam
This is a super easy way to give back on Thanksgiving, without even having to leave your house. Offer to help with Thanksgiving dinner. Even if you’d rather just lounge on the couch all morning (and afternoon, and night…), whoever is cooking most of the meal will be happy that you want to help. You can pick some recipes, put extra sugar in the pumpkin pie, and use this time to catch up with whoever else is helping in the kitchen. Plus, you’ll get first dibs on any entrée that you helped cook! Even if you realize you really dislike making Thanksgiving dinner and can’t wait to hop back on the couch, this will give you more reasons to be thankful this year!