The holidays are a time for love, gratitude, happiness, and time with friends and family right? As that is the case for many, there are a lot of people out there who don’t like the holidays. They may not like it because they don’t have family or friends to celebrate with, or this time of year can be triggering for them reminding them of a bad past time. That is why during the holidays everyone needs to be more patient and spread more kindness.

A lot of people get stressed during the holidays because they are worried about running around, getting gifts, hosting parties, people working during the holidays etc. If you can recognize and see this around you, you yourself can be more patient and more kind instead of reacting in a bad way to certain situations. There are many things you can do during the holidays to spread kindness and you will feel better about it too.

Smile at people!

A smile can go a long way. Don’t have RBF (resting bitch face), or at least this time of year just try to smile more even if you are not mad about anything. Your smile can make someone’s day and they could think in their head, “I was having kind of a hard day today, but I really appreciate that one person that gave me a big smile.” There is no reason to not spread that happiness their way and then they will smile and pass it onto someone else. Try passing a smile it’s free! Even if you are wearing a mask people can tell a nice face by the way your eyes squint when you smile. Try it out!

Perform random acts of kindness

Random small acts of kindness during the holidays is truly the best. A majority of the time acts of kindness are purely free too! Hold a door for someone, give someone a compliment, offer to them carry something if they are struggling. Instead of avoiding people (which I do a lot) offer to help them when they are in need. Another fun idea is writing a fun note with a complement and handing it to someone random. It will make their day and they might even pass it onto someone else.

Slow down

Everyone including myself are like a bunch of crazy squirrels fighting for the last acorn during the holidays. Everyone feels the need to be in a rush to get something they really want or need from the store or mall or just random stuff like that. When you start to feel out of control just pause and take a few deep breaths and tell yourself it’s gonna be ok. In reality it really is, if you missed out on a toy or item in a store you can get it later on it is not the end of the world. Also when you start to feel more frantic you get more impatient and then start to be rude for no reason. No one wants that! Take a minute and step back, when you start to feel more calm, continue on.

Be extra kind to employees

I live in a tourist resort town so I can relate to this one heavily. Especially with the times that are going on right now almost everywhere is short staff so employees are having to pick up more than they did before during the holidays.  A lot of people get to go off and visit family, some people don’t have family to visit or really need money this time of year. As they want to be participating in fun activities like a lot of people are, they can’t. Be kind to employees wherever you go and tell them, “Thank you for being here, you’re doing a great job.” It will put a smile on their face and will make it easier for them to get through the holidays. 

Call friends and family 

Haven’t talked to a loved one in awhile because you claim you are “too busy”? Bullshit take two minutes out of your day to just text them and let them know you’re thinking about them and hope they are having a good holiday season. 90% of people are already on their phone on some form of social media. Snap out of the media cycle for a second and call your friends and family or someone important to you.

Express gratitude

When you have gratitude, it will radiate your positivity onto other people because it raises your vibration. Be grateful for the smallest things!! There are a whole bunch of people who don’t get presents for Christmas. Be grateful for what you have and what you get this holiday season. If someone buys you a gift tell them thank you and a million times more. If they work a regular hourly day job, that present costed them hours of their time. Always appreciate the clothes, food, water, home, and people you have in your life.

Be more understanding 

Sometimes people during the holidays are mean for no reason. You have to realize right away that it is something going on with them and not you. Like I said before some people don’t enjoy this time of year so instead of thinking right away, “That person is an asshole!” Try to change the narrative to, “That person is probably having a rough time, it has nothing to do with me.” If someone is rude to you personally don’t fight back and waste your time tell them to have a good day and move on. Being more understanding towards people only helps you in the long run because you are not wasting your time and energy on things that don’t matter. Yeah it does hurt when people are mean, but it is never truly about you.

As the holidays can be overwhelming, they are meant to be a time of gratitude and time with loved ones. Try and make the most out of the holiday season with these tips. You will ultimately feel better too. Kindness is free and everyone should be practicing it daily. You also have to take care of yourself before you can others so don’t forget to put yourself first and take care of you. We are often too hard on ourselves, keep being you, you are doing a great job!