With the holidays creeping closer and closer, many people eagerly await a welcome break from work to spend with family and loved ones. And to make the holidays even better, we’re sharing insight on the (often underestimated) effects of gratitude, and how it can even spill over to better social connections between parents and children.

First of all, one of the best ways parents can care for their children is, somewhat paradoxically, to care for themselves. Similar to that thing they tell you in airplanes about the oxygen masks: you can only help another effectively if you help yourself first.

But a great and concrete way to do that is to practice gratitude. A recent study set out to test the effects on parents’ wellbeing and family functioning. Turns out that “parents tended to experience greater daily well-being—fewer negative emotions, and more positive and empathic emotions, life satisfaction, meaning in their lives, connectedness to others, and autonomy—on days when they felt more gratitude than usual, regardless of how much daily happiness they felt.” Additionally, “parents tended to feel greater closeness and less conflict with their children on days when they felt more gratitude than usual.”

This study shows that when parents (or anyone for that matter) ‘fill up their cup’ with positive emotions, it often spills over to improve the mood and wellbeing of those around them. So during the next Christmas dinner, take a second to reflect on (or share) what and who you’re grateful for in life.