In an effort to refocus and capture the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I began to brainstorm a bit. Before I knew it, my mind was full of ideas and I chose a six week "Season For Giving." The holidays are upon us and I do not want to get overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle. I regret each year how overly busy, harried and stressed I can get. I dread December 26 or January 2, those sad days after all the festivities have died down. This year I want to proceed with caution and be without regret when the holidays are all said and done. Above all, it is my desire to instill in my boys the true meaning of thankfulness and gratitude. Freely we have been given, freely we should give.
This week will be our first week of "Giving." I shared my ideas with the boys and they added their suggestions. This is our outline, we'll see how it goes. I will include other ideas later in the post to help you brainstorm. The whole point of giving is to be Jesus' hands and feet to the people around us. Some live next door, some are faraway, some we may never meet face to face. We want to provide tangible services and gifts and share of our time. Since our financial resources are limited, we must give from our heart more than our wallet. I believe that is the best type of giving we can do.
Week 1--Prepare and deliver a meal to our next door neighbors who recently had a baby. The fun thing is that another neighbor is helping with the meal, so it's not as stressful to figure out what to make. J wants to make a card for the family and I have a small art set to give to the older sibling.
Week 2--We will be heading south to spend time with my mom and sister for Thanksgiving. The boys have agreed to help their Granni put up her Christmas decorations. They also want to play with their cousins while we are in Florida.
Week 3--We will prepare a box of goodies to send to a family we know. We decided on an art box, full of goodies to stimulate creativity and family togetherness.
Week 4--Upon our return home, I plan to prepare meals for several other young families who recently had babies. I'll be sure to get the boys in on the preparations!
Week 5--This week we hope to find a local service project to do as a family.
Week 6--Deliver dessert and gifts to a local family we know. Most of the gifts we plan to take are items I had in my gift closet, so we simply choose from the stash, wrap and deliver! I have baby dolls, Lincoln Logs, board games and more to pick from.
I throw the challenge out there for anyone who feels able. Let's make this a season for giving. Most of us have everything we need and so many things that we want. Let's consider those who are truly in need. Other ideas might include:
*Donate a shoe box filled with goodies for "Operation Christmas Child," deadline is Monday
*Choose a child from an angel tree or other organization to buy gifts for
*Ringing the bell for Salvation Army
*Serving food in a soup kitchen
*Visiting the elderly or shut in
*Singing Christmas carols at a local nursing home
*Delivering baked goodies to neighbors
*Leaving a treat or a thank you note for delivery personnel
*Providing a bonus or note of appreciation for an employee
*Offering to babysit for a single parent while they go shopping
*Raking leaves or cleaning gutters
*Reading Christmas stories to young children
The sky is the limit! Use your gifts and passions to bless others! Happy "Season For Giving."
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