portrait of family reasons to celebrate

6 Reasons We Need to Celebrate Soon—and Often!

/Updated /14 Comments/in , /by Mary Hunt

Celebrate? With all that’s going on in the nation—the world? Add to that the challenges in your life and you may be thinking that’s the last thing you’ll be doing now, or anytime soon. Let me encourage you to think again. Now, of all times, we need to celebrate wherever and whenever possible.

 

portrait of family reasons to celebrate

In their book, Why Good Things Happen to Good People, authors Stephen Post and Julie Neimark tell us that celebration is one of the most important ways that we express gratitude. Celebration is gratitude in action, and celebration—like rest, seat belts, and green leafy vegetables—is good for us!

1. Celebration creates joy

Feeling down in the dumps? Celebrate someone or something—anything! The gratitude you feel as a result of celebrating others, or creation in general, will help you to be less materialistic and, therefore, more easily satisfied with what life brings your way. It’s a fact that gratitude actually creates joy within our souls.

2. Celebration is good for your health

The gratitude that wells up from the act of celebration has been studied scientifically for its health benefits. The results prove that gratitude is strongly linked to emotional and physical health. Just five minutes of gratitude can shift the nervous system toward a calmer state.

3. Celebration creates a circle of love

When we rejoice in the presence and accomplishments of others, they feel uplifted. Research has shown that acts of gratitude encourage those around us, creating a circle of reciprocal love.

4. Celebrating moves us from fear to faith

Studies show that the most grateful people have often been through difficult and challenging experiences. Individuals who have overcome adversity are more optimistic and grateful than the average person. Recounting the ways God has protected and guided us in the past strengthens our faith for the future.

5. Celebration shifts us from tired to inspired

Reminding ourselves of just how good life is and all the blessings we enjoy cultivates gratitude. Research shows that emotions work at lightning speed and often bypass reasoning. By cultivating gratitude, we encourage positive feelings that are almost instantaneous—feelings that are more powerful in their own way than even positive thoughts.

6. Celebration heals

According to a study on organ donations cited in Post and Neimark’s book, the more gratitude a recipient of an organ expresses, the faster that person’s recovery. There were 74 transplant recipients of either a heart, liver, lung, kidney or pancreas who participated in the study. Those recipients who expressed gratitude—directly or indirectly by journaling—felt physically better and functioned at a higher level than those who did not.

Soon and often

Looking at the calendar, it’s easy to see natural reasons to celebrate— Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s, followed, of course, by Easter, Valentine’s Day, Ground Hogs Day!, and Independence Day,

So, pull out all the stops. Celebrate! But don’t let your celebrations end there. Look for every reason imaginable to celebrate: the first day of spring, the last day of autumn, the first snowfall, the shortest day of the year, a child’s progress report, the 100th day of the school year, birthdays, anniversaries, significant milestones, important events.

As you look at life through eyes of gratitude, you will discover many reasons to celebrate—no matter what’s going on in the world. Never miss an opportunity to celebrate.

 

Everyday Cheapskate participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

More from Everyday Cheapskate

Person Feeling discouraged Over Credit Bills

How to Beat Discouragement to Get Through Tough Times Stronger Than Ever

traditional st patricks day meal corned beef and cabbage potatoes carrots

Corned Beef and Cabbage: A Classic Irish Dish Made Simple

Female hiker sets backpack down on grassy hillside feeling discouraged lighten your load

Feeling Discouraged? Lighten Your Load

Valentines day greeting card with rose flowers and gift box on white wooden background

Best Ideas and Gifts (Him, Her, Kids!) to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

february-2024-wallpaper-calendar-valentines-day

Yummy Sweets to Make for Valentine’s Day

silver flatware forks on linen napkin

Yes! You Can Clean Silver in the Dishwasher

Goals plans make to do and wish list for new year christmas concept, girl writing in notebook. Woman hand holding pen on notepad at home on winter holidays xmas. Christmas decoration, gift boxes

With the Holidays Still Fresh in Mind

bills and credit cards overspent for christmas

You Overspent on Christmas—3 Ways to Bounce Back

Family tradition of playing a game in front of Christmas Tree

Traditions: The Glue That Binds Us Together



Please keep your comments positive, encouraging, helpful, brief,
and on-topic in keeping with EC Commenting Guidelines



Caught yourself reading all the way 'til the end? Why not share with a friend.

14 replies
  1. Dick Ivey says:

    One of my favorite ways to encourage lovers to celebrate is to figure out what blesses your partner and then do it often and do it well.

    Today, I just did for TheGorgeousRedhead…the pride of my life and my beloved bride.

    Reply
  2. Barbara Jackson says:

    Great article, Mary! Hubby and I recently celebrated, with my daughter and son-in-law, paying off the mortgage in December 2020. Due to COVID restrictions, we postponed the celebration until March 2022. I treated all four of us to admission to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and a 1-1/2 hour safari through the African and Asian savanna habitats. My daughter and son-in-law treated us to lunch overlooking the animals roaming free in the savannas. It was such a beautiful, fun day that we were able to celebrate together as a family. Precious! Another name for a celebration is “making memories”, something I taught my daughter as she was growing up.

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      What a great thing to celebrate … No More Mortgage! Congratulations! I’ve been on that safari and it is so amazing to feel in every way that you really are in Africa! Just beautiful and the animals!!

      Reply
  3. Marsha Stanton says:

    Dear Mary,
    Just wanted to let you know that your EC message of today really inspired and prompted me to be more of a person of celebration from now on. Also, I love the fact that you include Scripture verses in your columns from time to time. May God bless you and your family richly during this Easter season and always!

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      Thanks for sharing, Marsha! Regardless of what’s going on around us, in every situation we have much for which to be grateful. God bless you!

      Reply
  4. Maryann Los says:

    This past January my roommate, Rose, and I held a dinner in our home to celebrate that we had been living together for 30 years. We invited family and other people who had been an important part of our lives; there were 16 folks at the table. Before dinner Rose spoke about how she and I had shared many ups and downs, unemployment, illnesses, wonderful vacations, and serving our Lord together at our church in various ways and capacities. Our friend, Stan, said the blessing, both for the food and for our continued friendship, and we enjoyed a beautiful evening together in celebration of life!

    Reply
  5. S Miraldi says:

    Thanks for your uplifting articles. There are many. My husband and I will be celebrating our 50th Anniversary on Valentines Day next month.

    Reply
  6. Beth Sherrill says:

    you are so right. I believe it is also important to keep a gratitude journal, every night, list 3 things in your life you ate truly grateful for. I had a really rough year in 2019, serious injuries in a car accident that also made me a widow, death of two wonderful dogs, months of rehab. it was tough, unable to work, on extremely limited income, I was able to focus on healing body and soul, be grateful for each small gain, I learned how blessed I was by my friends and my kids. focusing on gratitude can get you through.

    Reply
    • Jana says:

      Blessings to you dear Beth, so sorry for your losses, yet so warmed and uplifted by your attitude of gratitude, thank you for sharing and uplifting all of us!

      Reply
  7. Sandy says:

    Mary,
    Thank you so much for your inspiring message I receive each day, it is a true blessing to me as well as many others. I think each and everyone of us need to count our blessings, not our problems. We have so much to be thankful for each and everyday, you are truly one of our blessings, thank you for just being you.

    Reply
  8. Glenda says:

    Just wanted to let you know how grateful I am for all your good advice! Been a fan of yours since I received the newsletter Cheapskate Monthly! I only read your email and one other one. You are that IMPORTANT!
    Thanks and blessings in 2020!

    Reply
  9. Maria says:

    Happy New Year to you, Mary. I totally agree with the concept of celebrating and being grateful and just wanted to take this moment to celebrate the fact that I’ve been following your newsletter and now your blog for over 20 years. Your advice has been such a positive life changer for our family and I thank God for having found you so many years ago on Focus on the Family. THANK YOU and we love you and wish you a wonderful year full of many many blessings!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *