The Thanksgiving season can actually lift our spirits, and the clue is right in its name. Taking a moment to notice and acknowledge the things you’re grateful for can brighten your outlook and boost your mood. Something as simple as a brief chat with a friend, a kind gesture from a stranger, or a warm cup of tea in the cold evening can make you feel thankful and more positive.

A brief “thanks”, or “I really appreciate you doing this for me”, shows your friends and family that you care and encourages more pleasant encounters in the future. Practicing gratefulness creates a chain reaction of positivity that improves your friendships and fosters new ones. A study at the University of New South Wales found that when people express appreciation, it invites others to form relationships and connect on a deeper level with them. People who received gratitude at work reported better sleep, fewer headaches, a healthier diet, and felt more satisfied with their jobs.

However, many of us get caught up in the negative things in life, and it becomes difficult to highlight the positives. A continuously pessimistic outlook might disconnect you from your favorite people. A lack of support from family and friends has been found to raise levels of stress and disturb sleep, which in turn harms the body. For some, it’s hard to be naturally grateful, whether due to genetics or personality. Fortunately, practicing appreciation might get easier with a few mindful steps, like writing thank-you notes, keeping a gratitude journal, and focusing on what you already have.

Psychologist Joel Wong believes that the benefits of gratitude can be felt only if we incorporate it into our long-term routine. It’s more than enough to do it once a day. For example, Dr. Wong chooses to think about what he’s grateful for in the morning when he first turns on the computer at work. This helps to associate work with appreciation and ingrain a positive habit into a routine.

The importance of spending time together with our loved ones is crucial, especially for our social well-being. According to research, American families in 1986 spent 250 minutes of quality time together on weekdays, whereas today it has plummeted to only 37. With this number lowering, it’s essential to come together and bond over traditions that inspire positive feelings and memories.

Maintaining strong family customs takes time, effort, and patience. With daily stress and responsibilities, they might become neglected. The following tips might help to make your traditions strong and long-lasting:

• Choose an activity that would be interesting and enjoyable for the whole family.
• Block time in your family calendar so no one “forgets” and accidentally skips it.
• It’s best to keep these traditions simple and genuine; don’t overcomplicate them.
• Even if it’s not perfect, remember that all that matters is that you grew closer to one another and put effort into strengthening your relationship.

You might start to feel that it’s necessary to update or add new family traditions as the years go by. A little creativity and something meaningful is enough to form a new custom. Discuss the activities you’re doing now, brainstorm other things you might like doing together, and start slowly implementing them. Perhaps each member always had a ritual that they’ve seen others do or elders in the family may share ideas from their childhood.

The special moments don’t have to be limited to family. Creating traditions with your buddies can also ensure that you have some quality time carved out for them throughout the year. How about starting from Thanksgiving and making a “Friendsgiving” dinner? It’s a whole day dedicated to bonding with your best pals and celebrating this holiday. There's no official date for Friendsgiving, but many people choose to host it right before Thanksgiving. The menu looks a lot like the classic one with everyone bringing something to share (like a recipe that reminds them of home).

Originally, Thanksgiving was a celebratory feast after the Pilgrim’s first successful corn harvest. Since stepping foot on American ground in 1621, they were being abused by brutal winters, lack of vitamins, and contagious diseases. After getting help from the indigenous people, they learned how to grow corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers, and avoid poisonous plants. The first abundant corn harvest was the start of Thanksgiving that extended to celebrating the end of the drought, breaking of fast, and later other blessings of life.

Nowadays, it can be broadly explained as a day to give thanks. People reflect on the positive things in life and express appreciation for family and friends. It’s a time to be mindful and acknowledge our fortunes as we tend to get so caught up, we forget to do so. Of course, gratefulness can be exercised every day, not only on Thanksgiving. Not to mention, it has endless benefits both for individuals and society as a whole.