Give the gift of love this holiday season.

Holiday shopping. Church pageants. Work holiday parties. Extended family get-togethers. Let’s face it – the time frame from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day seems to go by quickly and those six or so weeks are often packed with events to attend, on top of the hustle and bustle of everyday life. That’s why it is so important to take time to show the ones you care about some extra love during this holidays season.

Recognize your relationships.

Relationships are so important, and face-to-face time is an important building block in the foundation of a relationship. A strong relationship is also important for your own mental health. One study suggests that those with strong social connections tend to have a lower level of anxiety and depression.

The study also suggested that people who take time for their relationships have higher self esteem and more empathy towards other people in their life, and your positive energy can even rub off on other people. Some scientists also think that strong relationships can boost your immune system, meaning the key to happiness and health can be spending time with those you care about the most.

Spend time with those you love.

It’s important to take time, especially during the holidays, out of your schedule to spend with your friends and family. Many families have holiday traditions, where they get together to hang holiday decorations or decorate a Christmas tree, as a family unit. Some families enjoy taking the time to do something outdoors, like hiking or picking apples. And sometimes, those families end up using the apples to make holiday pies or tarts and give them away as gifts to the ones they love!

Spending time with those you love doesn’t always have to be a big extravaganza, even during the holidays. Maybe all of the younger cousins get together for a fun day at the zoo or a museum, and later, parents can all gather for an adults-only dinner to reconnect and reflect on the memories made that day. The key, scientists say, is to just take the time and connect.

Extend the care to your community.

Another family activity many enjoy partaking in is making holiday crafts. If you’re looking for a great way to show others you care, sit down as a family and make homemade cards for senior citizens in nursing or residential homes, made out of construction paper. Decorate the cards using markers, crayons, glitter, paint, ribbon, and whatever else you can think of to make your holiday cards stand out.

In each card, write a thoughtful note wishing someone a happy holidays season, or include a note to say you are thinking about them and hope to brighten their day, and then drop them off at a senior center. The residents will love the mail, and they will enjoy the thoughtfulness you and your family put into the cards!

Break the bread.

A great way to show those you care about some love is a home-cooked meal. It doesn’t mean the entire family has to drop everything to make a Thanksgiving turkey, but even smaller gatherings over a casserole or a dessert bar can make for fun times for all ages.

One great way to celebrate together is by making cookies. Have the adults or teen children create the dough of a simple sugar cookie and help the younger kids pick out cookie cutters and press the shapes. After the cookies are baked and cooled, everyone can join in with decorating. All of those cookies can then be packaged up and given as gifts to other family members or friends. This is the perfect way to spend an afternoon with your loved ones, and then spread the love (and deliciousness!) to others that you care for.

Happy Holidays from Dr. Monroe and the entire Monroe Family Dentistry Team!

While we only see you twice a year, we enjoy being able to help you and your families with their dental health all year long. Whether you are visiting us for the first time, or have been a patient with our practice for a number of years, we are so thankful you’ve trusted our team with the dental health of you and your family.

And we hope that we can keep making smiles bright for many more years to come. So thank you for being a patient of Dr. Monroe and the team at  Monroe Family Dentistry, and we can’t wait to see you again soon!