Your Welcomegiving Day is a holiday that’s observed on the day after Thanksgiving. It’s a day to say “you’re welcome” to everyone who gave thanks to you the day before. At least, that’s the idea behind the holiday.

In practice, this holiday can be observed by simply saying “you’re welcome” to anyone who shows you gratitude for an act of kindness that you’ve done. Showing your appreciation to someone doesn’t have to be done verbally, of course. It can be done with a note, a hug, or even with a smile.

The History of Your Welcomegiving Day

This holiday was created by Richard Ankli of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1977. He created this holiday as a sort of tongue-in-cheek way to give himself a four-day weekend. If “thanks” is given on Thanksgiving, then it should only be natural to have a “you’re welcome day” on the following day. That way, coupled with Saturday and Sunday, you have a complete four days off work.

Fun Facts About Appreciation

Since this holiday is all about appreciation and thanking people for being appreciative, we thought we’d list a few scientific facts about gratitude that will encourage people to give thanks all year round and not just on Thanksgiving.

• Gratitude opens the door to more relationships. Acknowledging other people’s contributions can lead to new opportunities.
• Giving gratitude lowers blood pressure and may improve physical health.
• Gratitude enhances empathy.
• Gratitude helps people get a better night’s sleep.
• Gratitude improves a person’s self-esteem.

Observing Your Welcomegiving Day

Observe this holiday by saying “you’re welcome” to someone who has thanked you for an act of kindness. This can be done with a hug, note, smile, or even by saying “you’re welcome” in person. You can also use the internet to spread the love of this holiday using the hashtag #YourWelcomegivingDay.