Christmas acts of kindness

Our random acts of kindness Christmas countdown is fast approaching!

Last night we made those delicious smelling cinnamon ornaments and I tried to pick my 3 year old’s brain some more on how he thought we could dedicate some time focusing on giving.

I tried to remind him about how giving is just as important, and enjoyable, as receiving. He was a tad focused on his craft and I was trying to keep the 2 year old from ingesting cinnamon glue dough…

But he did tell me he wants to give people cars, houses, and the like. He sounded like a small Oprah telling me “Everyone should get a real car!”

I can’t wait to see what ideas he comes up with as he grows old enough to understand! Here lately all he wants to talk about are the piles of gifts he wants for Christmas…

I decided to make a list of 24  acts for Dec 1 st – Christmas Eve where we will complete a small act of kindness that is doable for us. I had to keep things like time and money in mind because it’s that time of year where I feel broke and like there isn’t enough time in the day.

Here is our list, in no particular order. I will have to order these in our tree advent calendar so that certain items fall on weekend days, and some things are possible during holiday travel, etc.

If you are planning to do something like this, these are some things I tried to keep in mind:

– Little cost can have big impact – we will empty my change into Salvation Army buckets and only a few dollars worth of quarters for Aldi, but the kids don’t have any concept of that right now.

– Donate items instead of throwing them away, even damaged stuff – I don’t mean donate damaged things to people but don’t forget about animals! I have old towels and blankets that are a little worn out or stained but perfect for the shelter.

– Utilize sales and freebies – I got a pair of fuzzy socks the other day for free as part of a Cyber Monday deal. This time of year is full of stuff like that. Don’t pass up a sale on gloves just because your kids already have them, keep an eye out on sales for little items that are great to donate!

– Think of people who might need Christmas cheer – we tried to consider those who are bedridden, the elderly who can’t get out much or are in a nursing home, those at the hospital, those in the military overseas, etc. A simple poinsettia, drawing, or piece of candy can’t hurt!

– Get the stuff ready to make mornings or after school/work easy! Stack up the books you want to donate or the old towels and just have them by the door or in the car ready for drop off. I am hoping the boys can be a part of the great majority of these and to do that we have limited time frames.

I hope this inspires anyone reading to think of ways to spread Christmas cheer.

And here are those handmade ornaments on our new silver tree! We went a little pipe cleaner crazy Monday night so these were a nice balance. I’m looking forward to collecting handmade ornaments over the years for this happy little tree.