Oprah

 “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” ~Oprah Winfrey

You don’t have to wait for birthdays or Christmas to celebrate, you can celebrate daily accomplishments, events, or things you are grateful about. Looking for ways to celebrate things in your daily life is a great way to increase the joy and happiness in your life and in those around you.

“Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God.”~Mary Manin Morrissey

Start adding more celebration to your life today with these five suggestions:

1. Enjoy Small Celebrations

A celebration doesn’t have to be a big event. It can be as simple as allowing yourself a warm cup of coffee after a task well done, a moment of quiet reflection after a busy day, a manicure or pedicure, using the good china, buying fresh flowers, or just stopping to take a photograph to record a special time.

According to Merriam-Webster, celebration is “marking one’s pleasure at an important event or event by engaging in enjoyable, often (but not necessarily) social activity.”  Celebration is just making the time to acknowledge and feel joy over events in your life, both large and small.

2. Celebrate Fun Observances

There is a holiday for almost anything – National Donut Day (First Friday in June), National Hugging Day (January 21), World Poetry Day (March 21). Some observances have significance, others are just silly and fun. They are all opportunities to add a moment of joy and celebration to your life.

Last year, my fiance and I celebrated Pi Day on March 14th by sharing a delicious piece of chocolate pie at a local pie restaurant. We had a great evening out, nice conversation, and a break in our regular routine, all because of a mathematical symbol that has the same name as a very tasty dessert. Neither of us had celebrated Pi Day in the past but there is no doubt this will become an annual ritual for the two of us.

There are many websites with lists of fun observances including Brownielocks.com.

3. Use a Celebration Plate

One early American tradition that you can use in your household to observe special events is to have a special plate. When a friend or family member has a birthday, or a just a reason to celebrate such as passing a test, getting a student-of-the-month award, or anything significant, they get to dine from the family celebration plate. It’s a small gesture but one that can go a long way in making someone’s day special.

The plate doesn’t have to be anything fancy, or it could be, depending on your personal tastes. It could be a special color – bright red or yellow, or a fine piece of china. Several companies also make specific celebration plates that you can buy and use, or you could make your own.

Using a Celebration Plate helps recognize accomplishments but also teaches your children to identify opportunities for celebration in their own lives.

4. Give an Unexpected Gift

Surprise someone you care about with an unexpected gift – maybe a movie they will love and a box of popcorn, a book, flowers, or some handmade chocolates. You can also include a short note expressing your feelings.

5. Plan to Celebrate

For many of us, the month of December has many opportunities for celebration – holiday parties, family dinners, tree lighting ceremonies, and special church services.You can add celebration to the rest of your year as well. To get started, take a few minutes to identify ways to add celebration to your own life by creating your own Celebration List:

• What are some of your interests – favorite foods, celebrities, sports teams? There may already be a holiday for them, if not, consider starting one.
• Who are you grateful for in your life? Is there a way you could honor them? thank them? surprise them?
• What days are important to you? Special friends’ birthdays, historical events?

Check back to your list periodically and mark important dates on the calendar.

Celebrating life’s blessings doesn’t have to be expensive, time consuming, or difficult. It’s just a matter of seizing the opportunities that present themselves to us every day.