At 6:30 in the morning, not many people have dancing on their mind. Coffee and toast perhaps, or catching up on the news. But not a party, surely?

But on Wednesday 17th December, on a street in East London, as the sun begins to rise, a queue of people will be waiting to get into a warehouse. Most will have been fast asleep less than an hour earlier but by they'll be wearing crazy clubbing outfits and some may even have gone as far as having their faces painted. What on earth are they doing? They're waiting for Morning Gloryville to start.

Gratitude is an important ingredient in happiness and resilience. Studies show that people who are more grateful are also happier. We know that with a little bit of practice, it's pretty easy to lift your overall sense of gratitude – I've talked about ways to do this in an earlier blog How a Pessimist became Practically Positive. Martin Seligman, the late founder of Positive Psychology recommends the following to help cultivate the feeling of being grateful: for our lives, for our relationships, for what we've overcome.

I've always been a bit scornful of American's celebrating Thanksgiving. It feels stereotypically American – over the top, effusive, a bit sickly sweet (no offence meant!) – but lately I've been wondering if perhaps us Brits should adopt it too? Obviously not by giving thanks for the same things as our US cousins, but being thankful and showing gratitude for all that we have.

Thanksgiving is of course gratitude by another name and as we've said before, feeling positive is just one of the benefits of being grateful or thankful. A growing body of scientific research is highlighting its social, physical and psychological benefits. Among other things, it increases happiness, improves sleep, strengthens relationships and reduces anxiety and depression. And it's been shown to boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, improve recovery from illness and even encourage people to exercise more.

You may, or may not, have heard of the "Elf on the Shelf" tradition. I only discovered it myself last night as I came across something a friend had shared on social media. The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, to give it it's full title, is a 2005 children's picture book, written and self-published by American author Carol Aebersold and daughter Chanda Bell.