12 Days of Kindness: Day 11

Tonight is definitely the family's number one favorite kindness activity - the drive thru! We have done this activity since we started this tradition several years ago. It is the one that elicits the most excitement from us...I can only imagine how the recipients of our kindness feel. Each of the kids put an anonymous amount of money in an envelope then off we go. We go to as many drive thrus as we can get to and pay for the person's meal behind us before the money runs out. Tonight we made it to 7 drive thrus (3 of which we paid for two cars behind us!)!! That's more than we've ever done in the past! It literally took us 2 hours to complete this activity. That's more time than it's ever taken us before, but it was worth it! We never really get to see the reaction of the recipient, but I love seeing the smile of the drive thru attendant as he/she accepts the money on behalf of the recipient. I think this year I've noticed more of the ripples our acts have caused. I have seen the reactions of others - not just the recipients. Kindness goes far beyond the intended recipient. Any act of kindness can inspire any who witnesses that act. It was fun night...full of food and laughter!

12 Days of Kindness: Day 10

Today's activity didn't take much time or money, but I am truly grateful for the recipient of this activity - our marvelous mail lady! Each holiday season, I see her drive by later and later as the packages and letters mount up. I know we contribute to her load! Living where we do, it isn't always convenient to drive to a store so more and more I order things online...which means someone (actually several someones) has to deliver it. Thank goodness for our mail service professionals! Just another way to show a little kindness.

12 Days of Kindness: Day 9

Today's kindness activity is one is which we actually do get to see the reaction of the individual. Today we handed out gift cards to a few people in Walmart. We always start this activity with a prayer. We ask to be led to those individuals or families who could most benefit from our gift. Sometimes those individual may need the monetary benefit the gift card offers; other times perhaps the recipient needed the gesture of kindness. Once we got to the store, we split up. I went with Danny. This isn't the quickest kindness activity, but it's worth the time we spend. We wandered through the aisles and observed all the people we passed. Finally, Danny found an older woman and her adult son with disabilities to gift the card to. The woman was so grateful! What's more is that there was a young dad and his children who witnessed our act of kindness. As we walked away, I could hear him talk to his kids about what happened and why it is always important to be kind. Even without receiving the gift card, that young dad was able to teach his children and perhaps promulgate kindness in their own spheres.

12 Days of Kindness: Day 8 (and Danny's concert)

Tonight Danny had his holiday orchestra concert. I have to say that I am incredibly impressed at his dedication to the cello; not to mention how good the orchestra is getting! I love anything holiday themed so I absolutely loved this holiday concert where I got to watch my son display his talents. Way to go Danny!

After the concert, we went to the local dollar store to hide a few dollars on items yet to be purchased. If you noticed, we did not do a kindness activity yesterday. Let's just say I am done with all the winter colds/flu!! Danny came home feeling nauseous and Jonas broke out in a pretty serious rash. Needless to say, we were not able to do a kindness activity yesterday. Thank goodness we have a couple flex days! Luckily we picked up where we left off with tonight's activity. The boys really like being sneaky on this one. I really like how thoughtful they are in what they choose. They consider what people who might be in need would choose to buy this holiday season. Again, I wish I could see the smiles I imagine this small gesture will elicit; I can only hope it is received with a determination of that person to spread a little kindness of his/her own.

12 Days of Kindness: Day 7

Tonight is another kindness activity that takes more time than money...and it's another favorite. Tonight we candy cane "bombed" the parking lot at the hospital. On each candy cane, we tapped a little note that said, "You are thought about and cared for this holiday season." I would love to think that each and every little candy cane was received with a smile. I know that may not be the case, but out of the 120 candy canes we left, I hope that at least one was received with love and offered peace to the individual or family. I have become increasingly aware of how our actions create ripple effects during our mortal journey. Some of those ripples may be short lived while others may create waves. You never know how the small and simple things you do influence the greater plan of our Father in Heaven. Just keep being kind and doing good. That's all He asks of us for Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas Kindness: Day 6

Yesterday, we took advantage of our flex day since the boys wanted to go skiing/snowboarding. Plus, we had already planned our fun, festive, family activity that evening (Luminaria), but today we picked up our kindness mission with goodie plates. While the boys were on the slopes, I made a few goodies (ginger cookies, pumpkin rolls, and buckeye fudge) for our plates. Today we made a few more (Rice Krispy Treats and our family favorite, Christmas crack) before we assembled our goodie plates. This is another activity that doesn't cost much more than our time. (Plus we get to enjoy the goodies as well! It's a win-win!) Earlier in the day, we counseled the kids to spend the day considering to whom they would like to give their plates. We advised them to make it a matter of prayer. Have I mentioned how much I love my kids?! Have I mentioned how good their hearts are?! Yes, they can drive me absolutely nuts sometimes, but it's moments like this that help me remember that I have some of the best of the best kids. (Maybe this 12 Days is more for me than for them.) Each of the kids sincerely considered which families would best benefit from our kindness. They chose those they knew were struggling or simply needed to know someone cared. They didn't choose families based on which friends (or rather girls) were in those families. They didn't choose families based on a popularity rating. It was the perfect way to end our Sunday.

Luminaria

After a day literally spent in the kitchen doing some annual Christmas baking, I got to enjoy a evening with my family at Luminaria. This is the 3rd year Thanksgiving Point has hosted this event in Ashton Gardens, and it's the 3rd year we've gone. Each year is just as magical as the year before. This year, we invited Jeff's parents, Grandma Thompson, Katie and Greg to join us. We started the evening with dinner at the Harvest Restaurant. This is one of Jeff and my favorite restaurants. The food is always delicious and fresh. It is a farm to table dining establishment. After our bellies were full, I handed out even more delicious goodness! As a part of my holiday baking in preparation for our next Christmas kindness activity, I also made 3 pounds of cinnamon sugared pecans. We did this last year and decided that it needs to be include in our Luminaria tradition. Now we were ready to explore the whimsical magic of the lights! We started by admiring the detailed gingerbread creations before moving into the illuminated gardens. (However, Jonas was more interested in the little train than the gingerbread houses.) We wandered through Candy Cane Lane down to the Reindeer Forest passing all the sights, scents, and sounds of the season. Jonas was so excited! He kept running from light display to light display. He was in awe of all the different colors and themes. He especially loved seeing Santa's reindeer! We kept Gma Thompson snuggled in a wheelchair as Jeff pushed her through the gardens. Her excitement wasn't like Jonas's but it was there nonetheless. I love sharing something so special with those I love...and there is nothing more special than the Light of the World gardens with its hundreds of lanterns illuminating the breathtaking statues of Christ. This is always my favorite part of the gardens. He is why we celebrate this season. He is the ultimate gift giver. He is the prime example of kindness and service. On the whimsical side of things, I think my favorite garden was the new Childhood Noel garden with the carousel. In addition to the festive carousel, it had a wishing tree. There was a cute poem in this book displayed at the base of the tree to explain that if you placed your hand on the book, it would send your wish to Santa. When you touched the book, the tree lights would sparkle and bells would ring signifying that your wish went to Santa. Secretly, my wish was more of a prayer sent to Heaven rather than a wish to Santa. I just pray for peace and love. I pray that my family will be healthy and my kids will be wise. I pray that I can be an example of Christ in my life so that when others see me, they will see Him. I pray that I can be the type of person to inspire kindness and love in others. Perhaps my prayer was a little too much for this tree, but I think the message was sent. It was a perfect evening (even with the frustration of herding all the kids through the lights and trying to keep us together...see we're not perfect...just perfectly happy to be together to experience a little Christmas magic).