2020 has been a hard and peculiar year, but it has taught us how important it is to show how thankful we are. Thankful to the key workers who we rely on and put themselves on the line. Thankful to our relations, neighbours, friends and the friendly faces we know that bring smiles to our faces when they check in. Showing our thanks is something that we sometimes forget to do. In support of Jo Cox Foundations’ Great Winter Get Together, Together TV has put together some easy ways you can show your thanks this Christmas and spread smiles where you go. 
 

1. Send a card

Sending a card is a lovely old-fashioned way of saying thank you, and it has lost none of its charm. Everybody loves receiving post. By sending a card, you can mull over how you want to express your thanks. For instance, why not include a little thank you poem. The Jo Cox Foundation has designed a beautiful card, which is available to download and print. 

2. #GiveALittleSomething

If you have the budget for it, giving someone something special is another great way to show your thanks. Some gift ideas are chocolate bars, a puzzle book, seeds, tea bags, etc. Anything that encourages a little ‘me time’. If you don’t have a specific person to thank, Coop are encouraging donations to Food Banks with its #GiveALittleSomething campaign. Show your thanks to your community by helping those in need. You can leave your donation items at your local Co-op.

3. Pay it forward

Paying a strangers bill or food shop is a slightly different way of saying thanks and making a stranger's day. You may not be specifically thankful to that person, but it's a way of showing gratitude and also spreading it. It’s a way to express a thankfulness that you may feel for a community in general. There have been many companies this year participating in a pay it forward for certain people i.e. NHS staff and other key workers. Next time you nip out to buy a coffee, enquire if the cafe is supporting such a scheme and pay for a coffee for the next person in line. 

4. Offer a helping hand

Saying thanks does not have to cost money. You can also express thanks by offering your time and a helping hand. Depending on how much time you have, offering a couple of hours a week to volunteering with a charity can be a way to offer a helping hand or even just offering to do an elderly neighbour’s shopping. Yemi is a volunteer at Woodgate Community Food Bank in Leicester and she realised how by just sharing two hours of her time a week she can make someone happy. 

5. Say thank you

The easiest way to show thanks is simply by saying thank you. Thank your post person, thank your cashier, thank your neighbour, thank your relative, thank anybody that you are grateful for. Say thank you with a smile and sincerity, it will even make you feel warm inside.

 

This year, Together TV would like to thank YOU for all your support and would like to invite you to Together TV’s special Christmas Together virtual event. When and where? Christmas Day at 1pm online. Click here to sign up for the event and enter weekly prize draws for gifts you could perhaps gift forward to show your thanks too.