The Best Gifts Ever

How many articles have you seen lately promising the best gift ideas ever? Perhaps you’ve had a few emails promising something at a great price that is sure to please anyone. Maybe you’ve searched in vain for that “perfect” gift. I have the answer you seek. No. Seriously. I know the what the best holiday gift is. The best thing to give someone at the holidays (or really anytime) is the gift of yourself. Corny? Yes. But true nonetheless. There is only one you and to the people who love you most, you are enough. Your children might be making Read More

Celebrating 2 Years of Postcrossing Fun

It’s my postcrossingversary! Yes, that’s a word. At least, it was in my congratulatory email from Postcrossing. I’ve been “making the world a better place one postcard at a time” for two years now. It’s probably time for an explanation and review for those of you who don’t know what Postcrossing is and what a postcrosser like me does. About the time I started writing My Cup of Cocoa, I also signed up at Postcrossing. The website enables users from all around the world to send postcards to other users (known as postcrossers). This is done in a random way. Read More

10 Best Ted Talks About Happiness

Have you watched a TED Talk before? You can find them on YouTube or on the Ted Talk website. They are usually 10-20 minutes long and can be on a huge variety of subjects. I like to watch them because most of the topics are uplifting, interesting, and overwhelmingly positive. That’s not always the case with information you find online these days. Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of Ted Talks about happiness. In doing research for various topics, I often find myself listening to Ted Talks. Want to hear about some of the latest research on gratitude? There’s a Read More

Recommending: A Little Book About Happiness Research

I just finished reading The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People by Meik Wiking. I won’t hold you in suspense. It was a really great read. For those of us who don’t speak Danish, lykke means happiness and is pronounced loo-ka.  Wiking is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute (yes, people actually research happiness and that alone makes me happy). Danes are known as some of the happiest people on the planet, so it should come as no surprise that the Happiness Research Institute is located in Copenhagen, Denmark.. This little book contains tons of happiness related Read More