Boosting Well-Being this Holiday Season!
This is a busy time for many of us, but the holidays also bring about a tremendous amount of stress and anxiety, especially when it comes to gift giving. I remember when I was a Director of HR for various hotels, my time in December was often taken up by making sure our annual winter gala (Holiday Party) was epic and memorable, which brought its own unique set of stressors! Nonetheless, this was the one time of the year where my HR budget would be thrown out the window and no expense were spared (at least that is what I told my Director of Finance). Many wouldn’t agree with my methodology but let me support my position by using key scientific, positive psychology principles to show its not necessarily how much money you spend on your party, but how and what this money is spent on!
WINTER GALA OBJECTIVE:
Now, I am not being unsensitive as I know many organizations due to COVID are not able to throw their annual holiday parties. I am simply sharing some of the philosophies that I used and why these were so successful. So, let’s begin to take a deeper dive!
Our associates work hard all year long and our winter gala would be a “thank you” to them for their hard work and commitment to our organization. We wanted them to feel appreciated by increasing their happiness and overall joy. Remember, the science clearly demonstrates that happier people are also more productive.
(Read more in our guide to our practical guide to success) A WIN-WIN!
THE SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS
The following tips are what I followed and implemented to 100% success in creating a memorable event.
- We worked hard to ensure the Gala was a “shared experience.” One of the most memorable parties was a “Casino Royale” theme. While our associates and their loved ones were able to play and win prizes, it was the shared experience with their colleagues that provided the biggest boost to their happiness. This was clearly demonstrated in a study where participants were asked to join a chocolate tasting. Participants judged the chocolate to be more likeable and flavorful when they tasted it at the same time as another person did, than when that other person was present but engaged in a different activity. These results clearly show that shared experiences are amplified compared with unshared experiences, as well as that shared experiences are more enjoyable in general. Gift Giving Tip #1 – This year in preparing for a unique holiday season, try and gift “an experience” such as an ATV Tour, food tasting at a restaurant or even tickets to hockey game (when they start up again!).
- Our prize draws were always something our associates looked forward to. Not only did I make sure the prizes themselves were “experiences,” I made sure it was something they had to do with someone else, such as “breakfast for 2,” a pair of concert tickets etc. Researchers have proven that when we are social with others, we are at our happiest. We are social animals, so we tend to flourish when we are with others. Creating a winter gala where people had to be social, boosted their happiness, but they got a second boost of happiness when they received their prize a few days later!! Gift Giving Tip #2 – Provide a gift this year that incorporates an element of being social. A great example would be to gift someone you love a novel, but to read it together and spend time with another while enjoying the novel. This will also allow more opportunities to be social over time. This can be further amplified if you also tried to segregate the timings of the gifts. Most people don’t like to give gifts that will be experienced later. But from a psychology perspective, they get 2 boosts of happiness. The first one being when they receive the gift and the second when they get to experience it!
- We also worked hard in providing our associates with prizes that provided them with “extra time.” In the crazy world we live in today, time is such an asset. Perhaps you can remember a time when one your classes was unexpectedly cancelled? I am sure you can remember how overjoyed you must have felt in given back an hour of your time. How precious was that one hour? You could now use that time to do things you wanted to do, but never had the time like enjoying a nice cup of coffee with your friends. Gift Giving Tip #3 – This year, give the gift of time! Purchase housekeeping services for someone you love that hates cleaning their house and give them 2 hours of their life to enjoy an activity that they love but never had the time to indulge in. Better yet, in a card, get them to share pictures with you of what they did for that 1-2 hours. Did they get a chance to read their favorite book, soak in the tub or watch a movie?
Read: The Power of Kindness
I hope the above ideas gave you a better and different way to think about your efforts in gift giving this year. Just remember that these principles are excellent ways of increasing the well-being of your loved ones. Especially during these troubling times, we all can use the help in boosting our personal well-being!
Be sure to message me and let me know if this is something that you found helpful. Any feedback is most appreciated!
If you did find this helpful, I would be appreciative if you could share this with your friends and family. Together, we can increase our personal well-being and continue to get better!
Read: Focus on Meaning!
Enjoy the upcoming holiday season and continue to be safe.
My best to you and your loved ones!
Until next time,
Be well,
Coach Mumdoo
604-861-4288
We believe every day is an opportunity to “get better.”
The most critical factor in seizing this opportunity is your well-being.
Your well-being is our obsession.
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