5 tips for making the
holidays memorable

1. Establish holiday traditions together as a family.



2. Create ways to express and show how grateful you are at this time of the year. Model this with your kids no matter what their age.



3. Live your life using your strengths such as being grateful, showing loveto others and being kind to yourself, kindness and generosity, humility, and transcendence.



4. Treat each other with respect especially during times of stress.



5. Have fun together!

Some things that you can do together to show your gratitute and be of service to others during the holidays are:

• Take the Values In Action Survey for free at www.authentichappiness.org and identify your top 5 signature strengths.



• Make a "good deed"
  paper chain by making a paper chain as a decoration. Write each of your names on a llink in thte chain Each day each of you will take one link out of the chain, read the name on the paper and do a good deed for your family member whose name is on the link. If you get your own name you can take another link or DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF!!



• Wrap special holiday books. Each year you wrap books that you only bring out at holiday time, wrap them and have your kids choose one book each night to unwrap and read. You can use library books as well.



• Take a nature walk together- Go outside and take a walk together to a place where you all can feed the birds, sing some songs along the way and maybe even get a hot chocolate after you get home.



• Talk about the Salvation Army bell ringer-Talk about what the bell  ringer s are doing, even in simple terms, " They are collecting money to help people who need food or a place to stay."



• Buy an extra toy and donate to Toys for Tots or to other
  community gift donations.



• Take everyone to a nursing home and read holiday cards to residents.