Getting your relatives together for the holidays can be a challenge, especially if you live far away or if there’s been some family drama. Planning a family reunion during this time of year can be a great opportunity to reconnect with your family, regardless of the situation. Bringing people together to share stories and reminisce over holiday meals can be the best way to mend bridges and create new memories.

No matter how your family will be celebrating the holidays, there are a few things you should keep in mind to ensure that the reunion is cheerful and bright.

This year, take a step back and think about what will make this holiday season extra special for you and your family. Whatever holiday you may be celebrating—Christmas, Hanukkah or your version of a winter holiday—there are ways to make the holidays more meaningful.

Here are six ways to create a more meaningful holiday season:

In fact, the holidays can be incredibly painful for some. Fall-outs with family, breakups, financial stresses, losing loved ones, and difficult holiday memories can all bring about feelings of sadness and anxiety during a time when the rest of the world seems to be celebrating.

If you’re suffering from the “holiday blues,” you might feel overwhelmed by the holiday cheer on every street corner and radio station. But you don’t have to spend the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s feeling miserable. Here are a few simple steps you can take to elevate your mood and bring a little joy to your world.

The first Veterans Day – then called Armistice Day – marked the end of WWI, on November 11, 1919. Since 1926, the United States has observed November 11 as a day to honor all American veterans – living or dead. It’s a day to give thanks and show support to those who’ve served for our country.

Below are six ways you can show your gratitude to our veterans this Veterans Day, as well as a heartwarming story on how two U.S. Air Force veterans reconnected after more than 50 years apart: