Are you Thankful for What You Have? photo courtesy of andrewarchy

Chances are if you’re reading 1HappyCorner.com you like to shop. You enjoy giving the perfect gift to your loved ones and, from time to time, you enjoy treating yourself to the perfect gift, too. But making sure we can still be passionate about shopping while feeling thankful for what we have can be tricky. Even though Thanksgiving is five months away, here are some ways to keep that quest for bigger and better things from letting you forget how blessed you are.

Stop Comparing Yourself

If you find yourself shopping right after you notice the neighbors have new patio furniture or your sibling saunters around in a new designer outfit, then you may be comparing yourself with others. Shopping should be a fun search for lovely things that you need or that make you happy. But if you’re simply buying in order to keep up with the Jones’, then ask yourself why you’re feeling the need to impress others with your purchases.

Rethink About What You Have

Always feel like someone else has it better than you? Consider the fact that one billion people in the world don’t have clean drinking water. Just enjoying that cool glass of water or that long hot shower should make you feel thankful. Rethink about what you have. Your surplus may be what someone else needs to survive.

Find Some Suffering

A great way to get your priorities straight and truly be grateful for what you have is to find some suffering and do something about it. Maybe you can start shopping for supplies for a local homeless shelter or help an unemployed mom get an outfit for a job interview. There are plenty of ways you can put your passion for shopping to good use.

See What Others are Doing

Need some inspiration to help you realize just how much you have? Check out The Junky Car Club, run by a man who exchanged his nice car for a beater so he could give to more causes or The Uniform Project started by a woman who’s wearing the same dress for 365 days to raise money for school children in the slums of India.

Give It Away

Giving  your treasured belongings away may seem scary. After all, they’re yours and you bought them for a reason. But if you can give a few things away to someone who might need them even more than you do, you’ll prove that you own your stuff, and that your stuff doesn’t own you.

When better to say “thanks” than on Thanksgiving? Heading to a friend’s house or family member’s place for the big meal? Or maybe there is someone who just deserves a little pat on the back. Here are some great (and affordable) gifts to demonstrate your gratitude.

Ornament

An ornament is a great Thanksgiving gift. It arrives at the perfect time– just as the tree is about to go up. This hand-crafted “Love Dove” ornament from Lilly Pottery is just $10 and comes stamped with the word “love”. A jute rope allows the ornament to hang from a branch all season long.

Calendar

As 2008 winds down, a calendar can make a great thank-you gift. Especially when accompanied by a note describing your excitement of looking towards another year of their friendship. This beautiful Keisuke Serizawa calendar has been popular since it first appeared in 1946. Serizawa created it using stencil-dyed Japanese paper. It was a popular gift for well-to-do army wives and now it’s a popular gift around the world! You can pick up one from Tortoise for just $18.

Snow Globe

Snow globes can be beautiful works of art. Bring a miniature winter wonderland into a loved-ones home with the tree snowglobe from West Elm. It’s a modern take on this classic gift. It’s just $29 and shipping is free.

Luggage Tag

Looking for a lovely way to say thanks to a travel buff? These colorful luggage tags from Pottery Barn can be monogrammed for a few extra dollars.

Sweets

Say thanks with a super sweet gift- cupcakes. Order a set of nine from RedEnvelope.com. They’re made in San Francisco at the Teacake Bake Shop. Your lovely box of sweets comes with four combinations: three vanilla with vanilla buttercream, two vanilla with chocolate buttercream, two chocolate sour cream with vanilla buttercream, and two chocolate sour cream with chocolate buttercream

Card

Saying thanks doesn’t necessarily require a gift. Just a thoughtfully written note can be worth a lot– especially when written on cute cards like these from Swoozies. Ten cards are $15.95.

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If you have tried the products mentioned in this post or if you have any other gift ideas that would make great “thanks” gifts, please leave us a message!