Fun Fact: Research proves that simply writing down what you are grateful for triggers the positive health benefits of gratitude. In the spirit of the holidays, specifically Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a fun partnership between American Greetings and United Way Worldwide, which promotes the universal benefits of thankfulness during the holiday season, and it’s called the ThankList initiative. In a world filled with hateful news feeds and heads buried deeply in technology, American Greetings is asking people to weed out the negative noise and show their gratitude in the simplest form possible, via Tweet, Instagram, Facebook, etc– basically any medium that can display the names for whom you’re thankful. Create and post your personal ThankList using #ThankList to express gratitude and love for the special influencers who’ve contributed to any significant development or positive change in your life.

For me, one major life change always comes first to mind when pondering gratitude, and it was/will continue to be my journey to eating disorder (ED) recovery. If anyone has ever struggled with any form of mental illness, you know the darkness, heartache, and fear of judgement that surrounds the disease. I couldn’t have done it alone, and I have my friends and family to thank for drumming up the courage to finally take back control of my life. For all the late night phone calls, pop-in visits, words of encouragement, and every other gesture that showed me I wasn’t alone in my fight, I am truly thankful. Since both sides of the road were bumpy– understatement of the year, I’ve hand written American Greetings Thank You and holiday cards to everyone on my ThankList, as well. If you have the time and the resources, I highly encourage you to do the same! Disclaimer: I apologize in advance for anyone I accidentally left off this list. Sometimes, like on a Hump Day afternoon, my brain fogs up, and I don’t think no good.

It sounds cheesy, but it’s so true– the remedy for a rude world starts with reminding people to say the most rudimentary, 2-word phrase of common courtesy: thank you. When multiplied by millions, this small act can manifest big change and could even potentially kick off a cultural movement. In case you and your family need a little more motivation, for every #ThankList shared on social media (side note: don’t forget to use the hashtag #ThankList), American Greetings will donate $1 to United Way Worldwide to be allocated towards hunger prevention.

So, to recap, you can make your list by publishing a Tweet, Instagram picture, or Facebook post listing the names of the people for whom you’re thankful. Add the hashtag #ThankList, and American Greetings will donate $1 to United Way Worldwide. It’ll take 2 minutes of your day and could inspire hundreds other to follow suit. Plus, it’s a fun way to jump into the holiday spirit– I wrote mine this afternoon, and I’m totally not ashamed to admit that I’ve somehow watched Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, and Home Alone 2 in the time passed. Dedication. Happy List Making!

_{I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.}