When It’s Freezing Cold Outside, Do This Gratitude Activity Inside

Are you feeling stuck inside on a cold winter day with nothing to do? The weather is freezing, and the sun has been behind the clouds for days. 

Warm your heart by expressing a little gratitude to others. Write handwritten thank-you notes or text messages to your friends and family. 

Expressing gratitude is good for you, according to science.

Also, your surprise message could cheer up someone struggling with the winter blues. 

Take time to ponder your relationship with the person, why you are grateful, and express your gratitude to them, adding a bit of joy to your day and theirs. 

Who Should You Thank

Who needs to hear words of gratitude and appreciation from you? 

Is there someone you’ve recorded in your gratitude journal as “being thankful for them”? Today is the day to write them a thank you text or mail a notecard. 

You can make a short list of your closest friends and family members and think about why you are grateful for them. 

Also, if you still have wedding thank-you notes to write, take advantage of your extra time at home to knock out those notes. 

Handwritten Notes vs. Text Messages

Handwritten thank-you notes will take extra time, and you will need to include all five parts of a thank-you note.

If you do not have note cards, another activity is to shop online for the perfect notecards. Finding the right card can be an enjoyable distraction on a gloomy day.

You can put as much time and thought as you’d like into your note card selection. The most straightforward choice is a card that says Thank You on the front.

Also, you’ll want to choose thank you cards that are blank on the inside so you can write a personal message. 

A text message will be instant. You can send a quick thank you text message in minutes. The convenience of a text message will allow you to thank more people in a short amount of time.  

What Should You Write in Your Thank-You Message

What you write in your thank you message will depend on who the recipient is and why you are thanking them. After all, what you say to your Dad will likely be different than a message to your best friend. 

To start, you can brainstorm specific reasons you feel thankful for the person.

  • Are they always there for you? 
  • Did someone help you recently? 
  • Did someone treat you to dinner or lunch?
  • Is someone in your life supportive most of the time? 

Your message can be short and to the point. And you can also mention the weather if you’d like.

Here are a few examples:

– Thank you for always being there for me. You’re a great friend! 

– I want to tell you how much I appreciate your time together. I’m looking forward to warm days when we can go for long walks together at the park. 

– Thank you for making dinner for me last week. I enjoyed spending time with you and your family. And you make delicious food!

– You’re a wonderful Dad. Thank you for being available whenever I need help or advice. 

– Thanks for having me over for board games on Friday nights. I love our conversations and sharing our highlights from the week. I appreciate you! 

For more ideas, look at the example thank you messages for friends.

Some people may not acknowledge your thank-you note or text. That’s OK. Remember that you wrote the thank-you message to acknowledge them. 

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Author: Heidi Bender

Title: Writer

Expertise: Thank You Notes

Heidi Bender is a writer and author who founded Tons of Thanks. She aims to help people write thank-you notes by providing examples and tips. She is the author of She is the author of A Modern Guide to Writing Thank-You Notes.