Demonstrating love through random acts of kindness… is there really any better way to teach our kids about the Christmas season, a time framed around the importance of giving and compassion?
I don’t know about you, but my kids pick up on every little thing I do, good AND bad. Gulp.
My oldest has just hit the mimicking stage, you know the one where you can’t so much as cough without hearing it in echo behind you, and it’s given me more than a slight pause for thought when it comes to how I’m potentially being seen by others in the world (especially my mini-mes). It’s also caused me to think more about how I’m actually affecting the world for the better. Am I making a difference at all? Do my kids see that too and if they do, how do I change that in an effort to shape them into beings that will bring goodness to others? What can we do right this moment to show them what Christmas, and well, living is really all about?
Each one of us can always do better, this I know and since the season of great joy is upon us once more, I decided it was as good a time as any to put together a simple, doable, family friendly list of 12 things you can do together to affect those around you for good. It’s time we (especially me, ahem) put our money and our time where our well-intentioned mouths are!
- Bake cookies for a neighbor.
- Hand make Christmas cards for senior living residents.
- Sponsor an Angel Tree child.
- Leave scarves tied around trees for those in need.
- Donate old toys to KARM.
- Put money on a stranger’s Christmas layaway bill.
- Decorate a thank you card for someone in your community who inspires you with their own service.
- Collect favorite holiday foods and donate them to a food bank.
- Collect canned food and toys for animals who will spend their Christmas at a local animal shelter.
- Fill a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child.
- Buy and donate your favorite book to a local library.
- Send dessert to another family at a restaurant.
From my family to yours,
Much Love and Merry Christmas xoxo
