Gifts of Laughter.

Today’s Marketing Cookie is about the healing power of humor and the importance of sharing laughter with others.

Humor has the incredible power to heal and uplift us. Think about the last time you had a good laugh—how did it make you feel? Chances are, you felt lighter, more relaxed, and more connected to those around you. Sharing a laugh with friends, family, co-workers, or clients brings us all a little closer. It helps ease tensions, changes moods, and makes everything seem a bit brighter. It encourages us to stay positive and makes even the hardest days easier to handle.

A few years ago, nothing seemed to be going well. I was down in the dumps, my glass was half empty, and the gray clouds were following me around. I wasn’t silly anymore; I had lost my spark, and I even struggled to put on the fake happy face I had been wearing. My friend Jessica knew I wasn't myself, so she gave me a little box filled with hundreds of groan-worthy dad jokes for Christmas.

We had just landed a new client in that quiet week between Christmas and New Year's, and the Director of Marketing wanted to meet quickly to get things started before the new year kicked off. At some point in the meeting, the topic of holiday gifts came up. I shared that I had received this little box of dad jokes. So, she said, "Let's hear one." I pulled the first joke from the box and read it aloud, "Man, I must have slept like a log last night because I woke up in the fireplace."

We laughed.

It’s true. I actually laughed. It was probably more like a chuckle, but it was real. Something special happened in that moment, and I wanted more! Apparently, so did my new client, because to this day, they will not allow me to end a meeting unless they hear a dad joke first.

The laughs continued. I began adding a dad joke to the end of every meeting we have with every client. No meeting can end now without a joke. This means that I get to tell as many as 4 new jokes every day of the week, or almost 4,000 new dad jokes per year. Ha Ha!

To keep this up, I'm going need a lot more material! So Jessica bought me a huge book of dad jokes, I’ve started to write some original dad jokes, and with the help of OpenAI, I’ve built a dad joke generator on my website so people can get a fresh dad joke whenever they need one. 

Jessica saved my laugh. She brought humor back into my life when she knew that I needed it most. Her gift turned my gloomy ho-hums into a daily chuckle, and I am forever grateful for her thoughtfulness. I encourage you to give the gift of laughter to someone you care about—it might be just what they need to brighten their day. When you do, it can be as today's fortune says, "Others will appreciate your good sense of humor this week."