1 big thing: Gifts that cost nothing

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1 big thing: A flood of gratitude from coast to coast

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1 big thing: The season of family time

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1 big thing: The power of active gratitude

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National

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here.

Hundreds of Axios readers sent us reflections on gratitude this Thanksgiving. We're inspired by the humility, resilience and love in their stories.

Why it matters: We feel grateful for all sorts of blessings in life, but most of us rarely take the time to think about those things — let alone write them down.

Here is a selection of reader reflections:

"[A]s I sit here typing this story, my sister willingly toils in the kitchen making pies, special dishes and prepping a turkey. I cannot cook at all! She does not judge or resent me but takes satisfaction in how much I appreciate her efforts in preparing Hungarian foods that recreate our mother's home cooking." —Barbara R., Washington, D.C.

"I am grateful for the smell of salt air, the sound of seagulls, the crisp breeze, the evergreen trees and the mountains." —Denna M., Port Angeles, Washington

"My dad just died last week. I'm grateful that so many people have reached out to my mom, brother, and me and told us how much he touched their lives." —Ross K., Oak Park, California

"I'm grateful for my manager taking the time to check in with me this week following the hate-based attack on LGBTQ people in Colorado Springs ... [T]hese one-on-one conversations go a long way toward ensuring all people feel seen and heard." —Joseph W., Stratham, New Hampshire

"I am grateful to be a mom through adoption. I am 85 years old, and my son and daughter are so good to me." —Marilyn L., Maple Grove, Minnesota

"I'm grateful to be experiencing my first Thanksgiving with my partner, Clay. He's meeting the whole extended fambam for the first time, and it feels so right! Eek!" —Dayna A., Los Angeles, California

"I'm grateful that my parents, who were Holocaust survivors, were able to emigrate to the United States, where I have been given opportunities they could never have dreamed of, including the ability to pay it forward and help others." —Howard W., West Orange, New Jersey

"I am grateful for my colleagues in county government. They strive daily to make life better for all citizens, knowing most folks will never think about them unless something goes wrong." —Steve W., Lancaster, South Carolina

"There is no higher and stronger measure of gratitude than being a heart transplant recipient. I am eternally grateful to my unknown donor every morning I open my eyes." —Frank A., San Marcos, California

"I am grateful for the chance to be a firefighter, where I helped many people, pulling 6 people out of burning buildings. It is so true that giving is so much more rewarding — that the giver gets more than the receiver." —Mikey C., Dayton, Ohio

"I'm grateful for my nightly task of cleaning the kitchen because it means my life is full of satisfying, quiet routine and family ritual. I'm grateful for the example of persevering and positive people caught in tragedy, injustice or unexpected chaos because they show me how to live when quiet routines are not possible." —Tom A., Falls Church, Virginia

"I am grateful for the sound of my two sons talking and laughing as I fall asleep. They've just turned 25 together; how wonderful is that?" —Carrie K., Albany, California

Axios Finish Line: A flood of gratitude from coast to coast

"I am grateful for the smell of salt air."

Thanksgiving

Politics & Policy

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here. 

Inflation is driving up the cost of holiday gifts and stressing out shoppers, but gift-giving isn't about price tags.

Why it matters: Most of us care more about thought than monetary value. And there are a slew of gifts that cost little or nothing.

🧮 By the numbers: The average U.S. consumer plans to spend a whopping $998 on gifts this season, per the National Retail Federation.

The price of gifts has been rising sharply, up 6.9% between 2020 and 2021, and projected to rise another 3.4% this year, according to the St. Louis Fed.

The cost of gift wrap is up 12% from 2021.

The thought of holiday shopping is worrying people from coast to coast. 

Here's how one Washington Post reader put it in a note to the paper's advice column: "I am 62 and still working, but this year I have no real disposable income. I mentioned to my mother that I kind of wanted to opt out of the gift-giving this year due to finances.... The thing is, I am embarrassed to do that."

💡 Reality check: What most gift-givers don't realize is that it really is the thought that counts.

In a recent paper, researchers looked at a range of studies on gift-giving and found that gift-givers tend to overestimate how much recipients care about the relative value of a gift and underestimate how much they consider thoughtfulness.

In that spirit, here's our list of great gifts you can give that rank high in thoughtfulness and low in price.

Write a handwritten letter. Fill it with cherished memories and qualities you admire about the person, and decorate the note. As we've reported, a short note goes a long way.

Gift a favor. Acts of service can be free and impactful. You could offer to be a sitter for the recipient's kids or pets so they can take a break, or step up to shovel show or mow the lawn.

Cook something delicious. If you're talented in the kitchen, use that! You might bake an irresistible holiday dessert or wrap up a homemade jam or pickles.

Give the gift of music. Maybe there is a musician, genre or album that reminds you of the recipient. Lean into that and build them a custom playlist either on a streaming platform or burned onto a CD.

Make it yourself. Many of us picked up artistic hobbies during the pandemic. Maybe you paint or knit or garden and could gift your art or a warm scarf or handpicked flowers.

Axios Finish Line: Gifts that cost nothing

Inflation is driving up the cost of holiday gifts and stressing out shoppers.

Christmas

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sign up here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" data-vars-content-id="814b8ed0-3579-4b9e-add2-b1c4348e3df5" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Gifts that cost nothing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" target="_self">Sign up here</a>. Inflation is driving up the cost of holiday gifts and stressing out shoppers, but gift-giving isn&#x27;t about price tags.<ul><li>Why it matters: Most of us care more about thought than monetary value. And there are a slew of gifts that cost little or nothing.</li></ul>🧮 By the numbers: The average U.S. consumer plans to spend a whopping $998 on gifts this season, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per the National Retail Federation" data-vars-click-url="https://business.adobe.com/blog/the-latest/2022-holiday-spending#:~:text=How%20much%20will%20Americans%20spend%20on%20gifts%3F,for%20holiday%20gifts%20this%20year." data-vars-content-id="814b8ed0-3579-4b9e-add2-b1c4348e3df5" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Gifts that cost nothing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://business.adobe.com/blog/the-latest/2022-holiday-spending#:~:text=How%20much%20will%20Americans%20spend%20on%20gifts%3F,for%20holiday%20gifts%20this%20year." target="_blank">per the National Retail Federation</a>.<ul><li>The price of gifts has been rising sharply, up 6.9% between 2020 and 2021, and projected to rise another 3.4% this year, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="according to the St. Louis Fed" data-vars-click-url="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2022/nov/will-inflation-play-grinch-holiday-season?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=SM&amp;utm_content=stlouisfed&amp;utm_campaign=479fe9ff-cf95-49b4-b94e-68d010d6e719" data-vars-content-id="814b8ed0-3579-4b9e-add2-b1c4348e3df5" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Gifts that cost nothing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2022/nov/will-inflation-play-grinch-holiday-season?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=SM&amp;utm_content=stlouisfed&amp;utm_campaign=479fe9ff-cf95-49b4-b94e-68d010d6e719" target="_blank">according to the St. Louis Fed</a>.</li><li>The cost of gift wrap is up 12% from 2021.</li></ul>The thought of holiday shopping is worrying people from coast to coast. <ul><li>Here&#x27;s how one Washington Post reader put it in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a note" data-vars-click-url="https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/11/26/ask-amy-gifts-afford-holiday-family/" data-vars-content-id="814b8ed0-3579-4b9e-add2-b1c4348e3df5" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Gifts that cost nothing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/advice/2022/11/26/ask-amy-gifts-afford-holiday-family/" target="_blank">a note</a> to the paper&#x27;s advice column: &quot;I am 62 and still working, but this year I have no real disposable income. I mentioned to my mother that I kind of wanted to opt out of the gift-giving this year due to finances.... The thing is, I am embarrassed to do that.&quot;</li></ul>💡 Reality check: What most gift-givers don&#x27;t realize is that it really is the thought that counts.<ul><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="In a recent paper" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296320306615" data-vars-content-id="814b8ed0-3579-4b9e-add2-b1c4348e3df5" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Gifts that cost nothing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296320306615" target="_blank">In a recent paper</a>, researchers looked at a range of studies on gift-giving and found that gift-givers tend to overestimate how much recipients care about the relative value of a gift and underestimate how much they consider thoughtfulness.</li></ul>In that spirit, here&#x27;s our list of great gifts you can give that rank high in thoughtfulness and low in price.<ul><li>Write a handwritten letter. Fill it with cherished memories and qualities you admire about the person, and decorate the note. As we&#x27;ve reported, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a short note goes a long way" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-finish-line-2615791b-ee94-4990-9198-bc51d5d44997.html" data-vars-content-id="814b8ed0-3579-4b9e-add2-b1c4348e3df5" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: Gifts that cost nothing" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-finish-line-2615791b-ee94-4990-9198-bc51d5d44997.html" target="_self">a short note goes a long way</a>.</li></ul><ul><li>Gift a favor. Acts of service can be free and impactful. You could offer to be a sitter for the recipient&#x27;s kids or pets so they can take a break, or step up to shovel show or mow the lawn.</li><li>Cook something delicious. If you&#x27;re talented in the kitchen, use that! You might bake an irresistible holiday dessert or wrap up a homemade jam or pickles.</li><li>Give the gift of music. Maybe there is a musician, genre or album that reminds you of the recipient. Lean into that and build them a custom playlist either on a streaming platform or burned onto a CD.</li><li>Make it yourself. Many of us picked up artistic hobbies during the pandemic. Maybe you paint or knit or garden and could gift your art or a warm scarf or handpicked flowers.</li></ul>

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

When considering what makes life meaningful, Americans across age, party and home state agree: It's family.

Why it matters: Watch cable news or scroll social media, and it might start to seem like we seldom agree on anything. But the power of family unites us.

📊 By the numbers: 83% of American adults — including 82% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 85% of Republicans and leaners — say they get a great deal or quite a bit of meaning and fulfillment from spending time with family, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

And in a Pew study from 2021, people from every age group ranked family as the top source of meaning in life — above work and financial wellbeing.

🧠 Reality check: Even though family time is a top priority across the country, Americans are actually spending significantly more time alone.

We spend an average of 9 more hours alone per week than we used to in 2013, per the Washington Post.

🌲Worth noting: Another one of life's gifts Americans value is the great outdoors. 71% of adults, including 72% of Republicans and 70% of Democrats, said they get quite a bit or a great deal of fulfillment from spending time outside and experiencing nature.

The bottom line: If you have the chance to be with family and friends this season, savor it. And maybe even consider spending some of that time together outside! 

Axios Finish Line: The season of family time

When considering what makes life meaningful, Americans agree: It’s family.

holidays

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sign up here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" data-vars-content-id="e9af76c0-0e1e-4e2f-bd9c-a6807398363b" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: The season of family time" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" target="_self">Sign up here</a>. When considering what makes life meaningful, Americans across age, party and home state agree: It&#x27;s family.<ul><li>Why it matters: Watch cable news or scroll social media, and it might start to seem like we seldom agree on anything. But the power of family unites us.</li></ul>📊 By the numbers: 83% of American adults — including 82% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents and 85% of Republicans and leaners — say they get a great deal or quite a bit of meaning and fulfillment from spending time with family, according to a new Pew Research Center <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="survey" data-vars-click-url="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/11/22/partisans-agree-time-with-family-and-friends-is-meaningful-and-fulfilling/" data-vars-content-id="e9af76c0-0e1e-4e2f-bd9c-a6807398363b" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: The season of family time" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/11/22/partisans-agree-time-with-family-and-friends-is-meaningful-and-fulfilling/" target="_blank">survey</a>.

The Black Friday chaos we used to see in storefronts and shopping malls has moved to logistics centers and warehouses all over the world: 

Hundreds of thousands of employees work long hours — often in tough conditions — to get through the holiday rush.

The big picture: E-commerce's growing share of the retail market, continued COVID precautions and an extended holiday shopping season means we might see shorter lines and smaller crowds in stores on Black Friday. 

But the type of strain Black Friday used to place on in-store retail workers hasn't gone away. It's simply moved out of public view.

By the numbers: In-store traffic on Black Friday last year was down a staggering 28% from pre-pandemic levels, CNBC reports.

Online shoppers outnumbered in-store shoppers 88 million to 67 million on Black Friday 2021, according to the National Retail Federation. 

The stakes: The barrage of holiday orders creates a surge in demand for short-term labor, said Tom Vickers, who leads the Work Futures Research Group at Nottingham Trent University.

 "The evidence suggests that if anything things are getting worse for workers not better," Vickers said.

What they're saying: Amazon told Business Insider, ""We are proud of the great working conditions, wages and benefits, and career opportunities we provide for our associates all year round."

What to watch: Retailers are rapidly adding cutting-edge automation to warehouses. But instead of making workers' lives easier, the machines could push them to work even faster, experts say.

"People have to fit in with the machines," Vickers said. "But human beings are not standardized."

The bottom line: Black Friday sales are projected to hit $942 billion this year, up 6% from last year, per CBS News. 

As consumer demand for deals and speed grows, online retailers, will continue to mobilize hundreds of thousands of workers and machines to meet that demand.

Go deeper: Amazon can't get enough human workers — so here come the robots

The hidden cost of Black Friday

Warehouse injuries increase during the holidays.

Illustration of a small man carrying a giant holiday gift

Amazon

Retail

The Black Friday chaos we used to see in storefronts and shopping malls has moved to logistics centers and warehouses all over the world: <ul><li>Hundreds of thousands of employees work long hours — often in tough conditions — to get through the holiday rush.</li></ul>The big picture: E-commerce&#x27;s growing share of the retail market, continued COVID precautions and an extended holiday shopping season means we might see shorter lines and smaller crowds in stores on Black Friday.

Whether we spend our time dwelling on things we're grateful for or noodling on things that upset us matters.

🖼️ The big picture: Shifting our attitudes to focus on giving thanks — not just during the holiday — has a direct link to our wellbeing.

💼 Case in point: In one study, psychologists recruited a group of participants and asked half to take time weekly to write a few sentences about things they were grateful for from that week. The other half wrote about irritations or complaints.

After 10 weeks, the group that centered on gratitude felt more optimistic about life than their counterparts. 

The gratitude group saw physical changes as well. They exercised more and made fewer doctor visits than the group that focused on the negative aspects of life.

Another study by researchers from Kent State University tested the effect of writing letters of gratitude to other people.

The results were clear: Taking the time to say thank you in writing made people happier, more satisfied with life and even decreased symptoms of depression.

The bottom line: We feel grateful for all sorts of blessings in life, but most of us rarely take the time to think about those things — let alone write them down.

But studies show that taking an active approach to gratitude can have tangible and lasting effects on our mental wellbeing.

Axios Finish Line: The power of active gratitude

We feel grateful for all sorts of things in life, but most of rarely write them down.

This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sign up here" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" data-vars-content-id="ff4b7f57-1ce9-42fc-bbaa-da1759d1b3a9" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: The power of active gratitude" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/signup/am-pm" target="_self">Sign up here</a>. Whether we spend our time dwelling on things we&#x27;re grateful for or noodling on things that upset us matters.🖼️ The big picture: Shifting our attitudes to focus on giving thanks — not just during the holiday — has a direct link to our wellbeing.

The U.S. faces a range of health care flashpoints — unaffordable drugs, opioids, vaping — as we debate whether to adopt universal care. For now, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land, but Republicans want to issue it a final death blow.

Erica Pandey

Stories

Axios Finish Line: The season of family time

Axios Finish Line: Gifts that cost nothing

The hidden cost of Black Friday

Axios Finish Line: A flood of gratitude from coast to coast

Axios Finish Line: The power of active gratitude

Newsletter editions

🏁 Axios Finish Line: All in the family

🏁 Axios Finish Line: Gifts that cost nothing

🏁 Axios Finish Line: Flood of gratitude

🏁 Axios Finish Line: Attitude of gratitude

🏁 Axios Finish Line: Argue better