Letter: The Season for Thankfulness

Stories and songs often proclaim that the holidays are one of the most joyful times of the year. In truth, they are also one of the hardest. There is an overwhelming amount of planning to be done, expectations to uphold traditions are high, and stress rises due to impending financial strain and possible family conflicts. It’s hard to know what we can do to help others through the challenging holiday season.

Last year, Cuppa Tahoe did a reading advent calendar to help our town cope with the stress of the holidays. This year, we want to focus on what we can do for those who have shown us these simple acts of kindness throughout the year. Were you in a bad mood and the person at the checkout cheered you up? Did someone help you clean up your yard to be firewise-ready? Did the plumber come by after hours when your heat was out?

Personally, this is one of the seasons I’m most thankful for. Four years ago, I stumbled into the ER just four days before Thanksgiving. I was in critical condition and made it through by the skin of my teeth. Despite this, what stands out the most in my memories of this experience was the kindness I was shown. In the ICU, the nurses saw the loneliness and helplessness that I was experiencing and cheered me up with jokes and special food requests—I would not recommend double-boiled turkey as your Thanksgiving dinner, but a grilled cheese and soup will do. Afterward, when I was in bed for months recovering, countless people took care of me and reached out with encouragement and well wishes. These simple acts of kindness have touched my life forever.

So, who was your Kindness Hero?

From the 1st to the 24th of December, Cuppa Tahoe is surprising 24 people in our town with a Kindness Gift Basket to thank them. You can nominate your Kindness Hero until December 20 by coming to Cuppa Tahoe and filling out the form or by emailing us at contact@cuppatahoe.com. The Kindness Gift Baskets all have a minimum of $120 value and are created in collaboration with other local businesses in town. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see the stories of surprising your Kindness Heroes.

The holidays may be full of stress, high expectations, and loneliness when we face these things alone. But the truth is that we don’t have to. We are part of a community, and a community cares for each other. This shouldn’t be a season of difficulty—it should be a season of giving kindness in order to create more kindness.

Let’s celebrate our families, and friends, and how thankful we are to be with them.

Let’s celebrate the wisdom imparted to us by loved ones who are no longer here.

Let’s celebrate our town and each other.

With kindness,
- Sandra Santané from Cuppa Tahoe