Debt-Free for the Holidays: Giving the Gift of Gratitude

two women embrace as one holds a white rose

Debt-Free for the Holidays

Gratitude is such a popular word that we all know the benefits of being grateful and expressing our appreciation. Many of us include gratitude as a daily practice to keep us connected to all of the people, places, and things we have to be thankful for. This practice is valuable in keeping our lives in perspective. As much as I enjoy the benefits of this practice, I find that there are times I think about the people in my life and who they are for me and I don’t always communicate my gratitude to them.

What if I told everybody in my life why I am grateful that they are in my life? That would be a gift worth giving and I could give it without getting into debt.

One person that comes to mind is my Grandmother, who is 97. I am so grateful that she has shown me what it looks like to stay active and age gracefully. She is feisty and we don’t always see the world from the same point of view. I definitely do not tell her how grateful I am for all that she has provided to our family through the years.

It is time I gave her a gift of gratitude. I will tell my Grandmother that I really appreciate the summers she flew to Hawaii to babysit us so my mother could finish her accounting degree at the University of Hawaii while my father was out to sea on a submarine. I will thank her for teaching me how to make the best pie crust ever! I will thank her for knowing our favorite desserts and baking for us to celebrate any and every occasion. I could go on and on. I will express my gratitude in a letter, frame it, and give it to her for the holidays. I am excited!

I encourage you to give the gift of gratitude. You could say it. You could write it. You could frame it. You could create a gratitude website for your family and friends. You could write a poem or sing a song. You could express it in a dance. You could have friends and family join in. You could do it on Facebook. You could tweet it and share it on Instagram. The opportunities are endless.

Let your grateful creative juices flow as you give the gift of gratitude. When you give the gift of gratitude, you give the ultimate gift…Love.

grat·i·tude noun \ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\

: a feeling of appreciation or thanks

thank·ful adjective \ˈthaŋk-fəl\

: glad that something has happened or not happened, that something or someone exists, etc.

: of, relating to, or expressing thanks

grate·ful adjective \ˈgrāt-fəl\

: feeling or showing thanks : feeling or showing thanks to someone for some helpful act

~The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary

About The Author

Lynell Green

Lynell Green is an Entrepreneur and business professional with over 25 years of business and real estate experience. After graduating from the University of Hawaii with a degree in Accounting, Lynell was part of the Audit team at Coopers & Lybrand and went on to take various financial positions in the entertainment sector. She has been involved in numerous entrepreneurial endeavors including owning Bread of Life Christian Bookstore, JC Enterprises and numerous real estate ventures. She graduated from USC’s Ross Minority Real Estate Program where she found her passion for land use and how it impacts the lives of people. She is the President of the Lynell Real Estate Group where the mission is to build, restore and sell real estate to create financial freedom for investors and improve the quality of life in the communities she works in. She also teaches courses to improve financial literacy and to encourage people to pursue their dreams as a means to financial independence.

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Debt-Free for the Holidays: Giving the Gift of Gratitude