Most of us want to shut the door on 2020 as fast as possible … and for good reason. This year was a challenge, to say the least. Maybe you weren’t able to see your family, had to postpone big plans like a wedding or move or needed to juggle work and your kids’ distance learning. 

While this year didn’t go as we all hoped (to put it mildly), we truly believe there are silver linings to 2020 that made it surprisingly worthwhile.

This holiday season may feel different without your usual ugly sweater parties and caroling door to door, but there are lots of things you still can do that will bring you (and others!) joy.

Here are some easy ways to spread cheer this year and bring good tidings to the special people in your life.

The holidays are here, and if you’re like us, that probably brings a whole mixed bag of emotions, especially because this “most wonderful time of year” will look so out of the ordinary.

On the one hand, the season may be just the mood-lifter you need — you can watch all the festive movies on Hallmark and Netflix, and eat holiday cookies to your heart’s content. But you also might feel a big wave of melancholy.

2020 has been a year to say the least, and we all could use some relaxing, restoring and recharging.

If you’re not yet sure what to give your friends and family this holiday season, here are five gift ideas that will help the lucky recipients feel little lighter and joyful this holiday season.

You may want to “gift” them to yourself why you’re at it — after all, you deserve to feel good too! 🙂 

This year will certainly be a different kind of Thanksgiving for most of us. There’s a good chance we won’t be able to reunite with family, and share the big, festive meal we all know and love.

While just thinking of an out-of-the-ordinary Thanksgiving might make you feel down, this year, it’s more important than ever to give thanks for what you do have, and find ways to connect with friends and family — even if it’s over Zoom. 

The crisp autumn air, apples piling high, and leaves changing to vibrant shades of orange and gold — fall is here, and it’s one of the best times of the year (at least we think so!). 

This fall may feel quite different with everything going on in the world right now. Your eyes might be glued to the news, giving you little time to notice the changing leaves right outside your window. 

Oh, what a wild week this has been. If you’re like us, all the tension and chaos that’s come with the US elections and global pandemic has been hard on your body and mind. Your shoulders and back might feel stiffer, your head might feel foggier, and your heart might beat faster. 

Because this week (and this year!) has taken such a toll on our physical and mental health, we want to encourage you this weekend, and moving forward, to be extra good to yourself.

Remember when you were a child, and you thought you could do anything? Whether that was learning to walk, climb a tree or become president, chances are you were bursting with optimism about what you could accomplish. You expected great things.

But now, as an adult, has some of that optimism vanished? How can we see the glass half full when we keep getting pummeled with stressful and depressing news? 

Have you turned on the news lately and just felt … ugh? Or have you binged a podcast series that got you so worked up about what’s going on in the world, that you couldn’t sleep?

Welcome to 2020. It’s been a year, to say the least, and news and social media feeds seem to be getting worse and worse. But for some reason, most of us can’t look away.