Call me, well call me whatever, but I really enjoy Christmas time. I really like getting into the Christmas spirit. I love the decorations, the lights, the spirit, and the goodwill toward others that it seems more people “feel” during this time of year.
Honestly, everyone should practice good will toward others all the time, but hey… I’ll take at least one month out of the year as opposed to never! It may be time to try something different this year, it’s time to make this Christams a little special. If you haven’t done some of these things before, try it. You’ll like it….really!
- When you go through the drive thru window, go ahead and pick up the bill for the person behind you. How warm would it make you feel if you drove up to the window to pay for your meal but they told you that the person in front of you already paid for it
- Call Child Protective Services and ask to sponsor a child. They’ll be more than happy to give you a child’s name with a list of things they’d like for Christmas. WARNING…. You may cry. Some of these children have recently been removed from their homes. First they live in an awful situation that dictates that they be removed from their homes (for their own safety) and now those kids have to spend Christmas in an unfamiliar place with people they don’t know. Talk about feeling alone. This is a perfect time to try to put a smile on that little child’s face
- If you have an old jacket or coat you need to get rid of, try going to a homeless shelter and see if you can give someone that coat…directly to them (face to face) and spend a couple of minutes talking to them. This is a time for miracles right? NOT that someone got a coat during the cold months would be the miracle. If you see a new perspective, learn something new, come to some sort of realization, or walk away from that homeless shelter with a completely new and different attitude, if it “moves you”….that’s the miracle
- Visit someone in a nursing home
- Volunteer for meals on wheels
- Call the Providence or Hillcrest and ask if there’s anything you can do for a sick child who will have to spend Christmas this year in the hospital
- If you someone you know is having a hard time financially, help them…anonymously. Sometimes, those we know won’t ask for help out of a fear of embarrassement. Help them and don’t let them know (or anyone know) that is was you
There are too many things to list really. I’m a firm believer in “pay it forward”. I do believe that gestures of goodwill or randam acts of kindness can be contagious, and what better time to practice a little bit of that goodwill than at Christmas? I do think that giving to organizations such as the Salvation Army, Caritas, etc… is very worthy and a must, but at Christmas time, I like to make it personal. I like to put a face to it… even if I can’t see their face behind me at the drive thru window when I pay for their meal. For me, when it’s personal, It has a bigger impact.
Here’s an awesome story about Larry Stewart. Larry, some say is the orignal Secret Santa. It’s a really cool story (from USA Today): Larry Stewart – Secret Santa
Christmas time! I love it, it’s a time for inspiration, a time for goodwill, a time for thanks, a time for reflection, a time for miracles, even a time for healing.
You’d be surprised how the smallest gesture can make the biggest impact. Here’s a true story about a little hug… The Rescuing Hug
Everyday until Christmas, I’ll post a new miracle story. Some have been verified as true and some have not been verified. I’m sure a few of the stories that I’ve come across over the years have been embelished to some degree, but the message is still taken to heart.
