"12 Days of Christmas" Giving
The twelve days of Christmas are the twelve days between Christmas Day, Dec. 25th, the birth of Jesus, and the Epiphany, Jan. 6th, the day Christians celebrate the arrival of the Magi (Wise Men) and the revelation of Christ as the light of the world. There are all sorts of traditions out there where families celebrate the twelve days of Christmas in their own way, usually in the spirit of the song where gifts are given that tie in to the day's "gift". I decided to celebrate the twelve days of Christmas this year... but a litle differently than what I found. I decided to provide a "gift" each day that contributed to the goodness and purity that is so seldom found in this world. Each day, the gift varied... from the gift of my time for someone.. to financial donations to organizations in my local community.. to gifts of love for my family members. Read on to see what I did.
Day 1: The "gift" of my time and love on Christmas Day with my family. What a wonderful gift, not only to my loved ones, but for me. Showering everyone with love, time and some small tokens of appreciation was so fulfilling for me. It was definitely a gift that I benefited from just as much, if not more, than my loved ones. (12/25)
Day 1: The "gift" of my time and love on Christmas Day with my family. What a wonderful gift, not only to my loved ones, but for me. Showering everyone with love, time and some small tokens of appreciation was so fulfilling for me. It was definitely a gift that I benefited from just as much, if not more, than my loved ones. (12/25)
Day 2: The "gift" of shoes for a less fortunate child (or children). I donated $20 to Soles4Souls.org - where twenty individuals will benefit with new shoes. www.soles4souls.org (12/26)
Day 3: Driving home from Louisiana, I found myself in several situations of frustration. Drivers alongside me on the road apparently did not share the holiday spirit that I was feeling. So I consciously took a deep breath and refused to get angry with any of them. Let's just say this took some effort with a few who were just out right Grinches. Instead, I prayed for them, wishing them a safe rest of their trip. And I meant it. The "gift" of prayer for strangers... (12/27)
Day 4: I brought back something special for my sisters and cousin.... a shirt for each of my Paw Paw's. So today I packaged them up really nice and mailed the "gift" of a remembrance of PawPaw out. I know they will each love opening that surprise this week! (12/28)
Day 5: Christmas has come and gone... and hand written thank you notes are such a heart-felt way to let your loved ones know your appreciation. So today I sent out the "gift" of hand written notes to say thank you to everyone who made my holiday so special. (12/29)
Day 6: Ed Hardy, Affliction, Sinful... many of this brands are just not "me" anymore yet I own a ton of shirts that are in brand new condition. So today I went through and packaged up some of these shirts for my two cousins, Amy and Allie. I also sent Allie a book that I think she'll like... that was important to me when I was her age. The "gift" of my love and some fun tokens of it were sent off! (12/30)
Day 7: When in New Orleans I spotted a fabulous Saints scarf. Of course I snagged one for myself.. but then I went back to get one for my sister Missy. I knew she's love it. So today I mailed the "gift" of a brand new New Orleans Saints scarf to my beautiful sister. (12/31)
Day 8: Pancreatic Cancer took my PawPaw's life in 2010, and my family has become passionate about supporting the awareness efforts of the Pancreatic Cancer Network. Today I made a donation in my PawPaw's hame to PANCAN. This "gift" of a monetary donation will assist with the ongoing research to finding a cure and creating awareness. Our goal is to diminish the number of people who have to go through what we have gone through this year. (1/1)
Day 9: Random Acts of Kindness are so fun and easy to do... and they brighten someone else's day! Today I left a "gift" for a neighbor in my condo building. Something to wish them a wonderful start of the new year! (1/2)
Day 10: My grandmother's siblings are all still alive, and I've been so blessed they have had a constant presence in my life. Today I mailed each of them a card, wishing them a wonderful New Year and included a lottery ticket (scratch off kind). Something fun for them to open in the mail! The "gift" of my love and thought will hopefully add sunshine to their day. (1/3)
Day 11: Our office was filled with snacks and goodies all holiday season long... so I thought I'd change things up a bit today. I brought in fresh fruit and left it in a bowl in the center of the breakroom. This way its a healthy start to the new year for everyone, while also expressing my "gift" of appreciation for what they do each day. (1/4)
Day 12: I have several friends who have moved out of state this past year, and I miss them so much. Today I made a point to reach out and connect with several of them. the "gift" of time and friendship is often much more appreciated than gifts of material value. (1/5)
Day 3: Driving home from Louisiana, I found myself in several situations of frustration. Drivers alongside me on the road apparently did not share the holiday spirit that I was feeling. So I consciously took a deep breath and refused to get angry with any of them. Let's just say this took some effort with a few who were just out right Grinches. Instead, I prayed for them, wishing them a safe rest of their trip. And I meant it. The "gift" of prayer for strangers... (12/27)
Day 4: I brought back something special for my sisters and cousin.... a shirt for each of my Paw Paw's. So today I packaged them up really nice and mailed the "gift" of a remembrance of PawPaw out. I know they will each love opening that surprise this week! (12/28)
Day 5: Christmas has come and gone... and hand written thank you notes are such a heart-felt way to let your loved ones know your appreciation. So today I sent out the "gift" of hand written notes to say thank you to everyone who made my holiday so special. (12/29)
Day 6: Ed Hardy, Affliction, Sinful... many of this brands are just not "me" anymore yet I own a ton of shirts that are in brand new condition. So today I went through and packaged up some of these shirts for my two cousins, Amy and Allie. I also sent Allie a book that I think she'll like... that was important to me when I was her age. The "gift" of my love and some fun tokens of it were sent off! (12/30)
Day 7: When in New Orleans I spotted a fabulous Saints scarf. Of course I snagged one for myself.. but then I went back to get one for my sister Missy. I knew she's love it. So today I mailed the "gift" of a brand new New Orleans Saints scarf to my beautiful sister. (12/31)
Day 8: Pancreatic Cancer took my PawPaw's life in 2010, and my family has become passionate about supporting the awareness efforts of the Pancreatic Cancer Network. Today I made a donation in my PawPaw's hame to PANCAN. This "gift" of a monetary donation will assist with the ongoing research to finding a cure and creating awareness. Our goal is to diminish the number of people who have to go through what we have gone through this year. (1/1)
Day 9: Random Acts of Kindness are so fun and easy to do... and they brighten someone else's day! Today I left a "gift" for a neighbor in my condo building. Something to wish them a wonderful start of the new year! (1/2)
Day 10: My grandmother's siblings are all still alive, and I've been so blessed they have had a constant presence in my life. Today I mailed each of them a card, wishing them a wonderful New Year and included a lottery ticket (scratch off kind). Something fun for them to open in the mail! The "gift" of my love and thought will hopefully add sunshine to their day. (1/3)
Day 11: Our office was filled with snacks and goodies all holiday season long... so I thought I'd change things up a bit today. I brought in fresh fruit and left it in a bowl in the center of the breakroom. This way its a healthy start to the new year for everyone, while also expressing my "gift" of appreciation for what they do each day. (1/4)
Day 12: I have several friends who have moved out of state this past year, and I miss them so much. Today I made a point to reach out and connect with several of them. the "gift" of time and friendship is often much more appreciated than gifts of material value. (1/5)
About the Author
_picnik.jpg)
0 comments