8 Great Ways to Spread Cheer

Owl’s smile by merec0

I admit it, I’m selfish. One of the biggest reasons I love to cheer someone else up is that it also makes me feel better. There’s just something so attractive about the idea of making someone smile. I love that the joy is two-fold, both receiver and giver reap the benefits. A wonderful win-win situation.

So here are a few ideas I rounded up to help make the day of someone you know. Or even someone you don’t. The important thing is to have fun and enjoy the experience. Life’s too short not to play in the puddles!

1. Share a Sweet Treat. One of my all-time favorites is food. Whether it’s sweet succulent strawberries or the crunchy goodness of a chocolate chip cookie, everyone has a delicacy they love. Surprise your coworkers with a bag of bagels or a pizza lunch. Food feeds more than our bodies; it brings to mind emotional connections to happy memories. Spread some goodwill today.
2. Go to the Park With a Friend. You’re never too old to have some fun. Take an hour at lunch or just before going home and visit your favorite playground. Whether you swing on the swing set, feed the baby ducks or take a walk by the water, the fresh air and serenity will invigorate you. Take your tennis shoes so you can skip along the path as you go.
3. Play Some Music Together. Whether you buy a new CD or compile some tunes of your own, invite your sister or niece to sing-along. One of my own favorite activities is to play children’s music for my nieces and nephews that they haven’t heard before. It’s so fun when we all learn the words and sing together. Music helps you forget your troubles.
4. Visit The Puppy Store. Take my advice; if you visit a pet shop with all those fuzzy, wiggling balls of love, you won’t leave in a bad mood. Ooohhh and Aaahhh over the shortest or tallest, the fuzziest and the one with the biggest ears. There’s nothing like playful pooches to tickle your laugh box back into shape.
5. See a Movie Together. Stay at home and snuggle up with a comfy pillow, blanket and your favorite snack or head for the buttery popcorn action of the big-screen. Either way, you’re in for a few hours of excitement and laughter. Movies are more fun when shared, so take your mom out this Mother’s Day.
6. Write a Gratitude Letter. Many of us already write gratitude journals for ourselves to remind us of the many joys we experience each week and then forget. Do the same for someone you love. Write them a letter and give them specific experiences you remember with them that made you happy. It’s guaranteed to delight.
7. Buy Some Humorous Books. This is an easy, often overlooked idea. Even those who don’t read often will enjoy cartoon books like Peanuts, Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes or the Far Side. You can also buy books with redneck humor, blonde jokes, riddles, office jokes and more. Whatever the style theirs a book that fits it.
8. Try a Novelty Gift. We all have favorite characters, themes and styles. Buy your mother an owl for her collection, your buddy a Dwight Schrute bobble head, or your Uncle a Darth Vader t-shirt. Surprise gifts like these can make people smile for days, and they’re really fun to give.

Movies That Make You Laugh Out Loud!

I love watching funny movies – they can make almost any day seem better. You know great movies when you see them. They’re the ones you can watch over and over again and not get sick of them. Here’s a few of my favorites (some of which I haven’t seen in a while.) Feel free to share your favorites with me!

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – (will make you want to play hooky from work).

Ferris uses his imagination and charm to entice his girlfriend and best friend to join him in some fun while they play hooky from school. His sister Jeanie just doesn’t have the same kind of luck as her popular brother. A cult classic!

The Princess Bride (1987) – a movie about the power of true love. Watch this comical fairytale about Princess Buttercup and those who wish to do her harm. First Prince Humperdinck wants to marry her even though she doesn’t love him. Then three bandits kidnap her to induce war between her homeland and another. It’s inconceivable that you wouldn’t watch it!

Better Off Dead (1985) (one of my favorites)

Depressed teen Lane Meyer whose miserable life just got worse when his girlfriend Beth breaks up with him. Watch the fun as he deals with his mom’s horrible cooking, a sly and sneaky younger brother, the paperboy from Hell and his next door neighbor Ricky. Laugh out loud fun!

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

–one of the funniest movies in recent years. (Even if you don’t like NASCAR.) Watch as Ricky Bobby pursues his dream to be one of the top drivers in NASCAR, until a horrible crash puts a stop to his career. Now he must be beat the pompous foreigner Jean Girard to return to the top.

Over the Hedge (2006) – a great romp! Those cute and cuddly forest creatures awake from hibernation to find suburbia has taken over their woods. While RJ the raccoon leads them to pilfer food from the locals, they soon find themselves in trouble as an exterminator is called in to remove them.

And a few more:

• Young Frankenstein (1974) – Gene Wilder & Terri Garr. That’s Frankensteen.”
• Bringing Up Baby (1938) –Cary Grant & Katherine Hepburn.
• Office Space – 1999 office classic.
• The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) – Don Knotts is great!
• Raising Arizona (1987) – Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter.
• Blues Brothers (1980) – John Belushi & Dan Aykroyd.

Funny videos.

For anyone who is stressed out from the holiday hoopla, or if you just want a break and a good laugh, here are some great videos brought to my attention friends and family alike. Enjoy!

White Men Can Dance – watch this and see one do amazing moves!

Japanese Illusionist. Watch this guy from Japan do some really cool tricks.

Baby Giving the “Evil Eye” – too funny!

Keeping a Funny File or Cheer Box.

Uploaded on September 10, 2006
by allspice1 Time limitedOriginally uploaded by allspice1

We all have those days when we’re feeling lonely, bored or depressed. We just need a little pick-me-up, but perhaps our family or friends are busy or out of town. Maybe we just want to cherish memories of fun things we enjoy. Whatever the reason a Funny File will add some fun and laughter to your life.

This is simply a place to collect funny items that make you smile, chuckle or laugh out loud. Bumper stickers, newspaper cartoons, cute pictures, greeting cards or quotes about humor. Anything at all. A Cheer Box is the same thing, just for bigger and bulkier items. Funny buttons, character pens and pencils, cute post-it notes, collectible figures of your favorite character or animal and more. The idea is to have a box of amusing and playful items and to keep them all in one area. I’ve had a Funny File for over 3 years, and I refer to it quite often. It’s often a great way to break through writer’s block and it enhances creativity. Plus it’s just fun.

Here are just a few items I have on hand:

• A Spongebob Squarepants figure with a button that changes his eyes from small to large and then to hearts.
• About 10 Weird Al Yankovic CD's.
• Pictures of Redskin’s player Clinton Portis dressed up in crazy costumes for his interviews.
• Spongebob Squarepants pens and pencils.
• Bumper sticker quotes I found on the Internet.
• Mike Kerr’s article 130 ways to put humour to work.

An old issue of Time Magazine called The Science of Happiness.

Try it for yourself and let me know how it works. And feel free to submit additional ideas to add to the fun. Have a great day!

Smile File: People I can laugh at.

elf's first taste of spiked egg nog!
Originally uploaded by angela7dreams

"I will find humor in my everyday life by looking for people I can laugh at." - -Unknown

Make your day great!

When your day is not going as planned, you need to refocus your thoughts and energy. Instead of getting swept up in the problems of your day, take charge and you can change the direction of your day and your mood as well.

Here are just a few ideas to transform a bad day into a great one:

1. Keep busy. If your coworkers are annoying you, work harder. Sounds silly doesn’t it? But I’ve used it with success. If I start getting sidetracked by loud talkers, interruptions or other complications, I make the day a race to see how many items I can get done before going home. If working harder makes me look like the best worker in the office and the others look like slackers, so be it. (Note: Do this with an attitude of fun, not a cut-throat desire to succeed.)
2. Redirect your focus. If your husband is zoned-out, grumpy or just not fun to be around, play with your kids or your pets. You can also read, listen to music, watch TV, take a walk, or any other activity that will get your mind off of things. Usually I find that once I’ve put myself in a better frame of mind by doing something I like that my problems don’t bother me as much.
3. Write it down and take action. If you’re having money problems, write it down. A lot of money problems are only temporary. Write a list to decide how to solve them; by scrimping for a month or so, putting off a big purchase, or even taking a second job for 6 months. Find what remedy works best for you and enjoy the relief of knowing your problem is being worked on.
4. Call in reinforcements. Perhaps you simply feel inadequate, worthless or confused by a task you are trying to accomplish. Get help. Ask a friend, family member, or look to the Internet to find someone to assist you. Or simply email a friend for some moral support. Either way you’ll feel better about yourself and be able to move to the next step.
5. Take a break. I fail at this simple strategy as much as anyone, but when I remember to use it, it is extremely effective. Whenever you are stuck, frustrated or just bored – take a break. Get a snack, do a puzzle, watch a cartoon or whatever else strikes your fancy. After 15 minutes or so you’ll find you are refreshed and whatever you were stuck on will make more sense. (If it doesn’t try another quick break or one of the above steps – whatever helps you the most.)

Don’t let anything stop you from having fun! 15 minutes of fun, especially things that make you laugh, will give you energy and change your perspective. The hardest part is just remembering not to take yourself or your day too seriously.

Smile File: Ethan child genius on Leno.

This is a great video I only came across today. It's a 6 year-old child prodigy Ethan Bortnick on the Jay Leno show. Not only is he an amazing pianist, he's really funny too! (P.S. Watch the volume when it opens - -it starts out loud.)