I have been thinking a lot lately about how egocentric I am. Ha. That's a funny sentence. I think all day about what I have to do: dishes, laundry, cook dinner, grocery shop, etc, etc. You know the drill. We all have the same list. Do all this and keep your kids happy, pay attention to them, and don't forget to be pleasant when your husband comes home!
This is my favorite time of year. It starts for me on 11/1, the first day of the month of Thanks. Everyday I reflect on what I'm thankful for that day. It is from something as small as an experience or a song and goes all the way to our freedom and is dotted with family, friends, food and shelter. I love to take the time to appreciate all that I have in this country where we always want more. I've noticed it a lot in Hunter that he always wants more, and it worries me that I'm not raising him right. He wants a new toy EVERY day. The toy of yesterday is old and, yes, usually broken. He's 4 and I can't expect him to truly appreciate everything he has because he doesn't understand what it is to NOT have. When we travel, I try to point out the poor or the homes that look as though they would blow over in a windstorm (specifically in Mexico.) I try to explain about kids who have no toys, to which he responds "then their moms go to the store and BUY them toys." He simply cannot comprehend that some people do not have. I'm not sure he needs to understand the down and dirty of it all, but if I can get him to appreciate what he has then I will be happy.
So, this month, the month of December, I want to teach my children about charity. Moroni 10:20-21. "Wherefore, there must be faith, and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity. 21 And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if he have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope." And also, with respect to charity, 2 Nephi 26 30. "Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborerer in Zion to perish." So, we learn that charity is love and we need charity (love) in order to be in heaven with our kind Heavenly Father. I will spend this month trying to teach my children about charity and love. What feels better than servicing others?
Traditions that we had growing up included: handing out candy canes at stoplights to the surrounding cars. This was something I did with girlfriends in high school. We would jump out of the car and give people candy canes and then hop back in the car and go. We always adopted at least one family from the christmas tree at the Country Club. My Dad would always choose a family who wanted a bike because he loved to buy bikes for children.
This month we are going to do 24 days of Christmas. On the 25th day, the boys will open their gifts from us. I am SO excited because we bought them both new bikes today and I CANNOT WAIT to see their faces on Christmas morning!
Ok - so 24 kind things to do. We are out of town the 1-8, so we will have to make up for those days when we return.
1) Bring cookies to friends
2) Watch friend's kids
3) Bring dinner to families in need
4) Put money in someone's meter if it is low (and they might get a ticket)
5) Give homeless people "care packages"
6) Sign up to bring Lunch to the staff at Hunter's school (they have a program to feed the staff on Fridays) {Done}
7) Take a friend to the Temple and share about our church
8) Visit a retirement home
9) Go caroling/visiting people in the community
10) Clean out your closets and toy bins and give toys to kids in need.
11) Tape a note and a $1 to a vending or soda machine
12) Donate shoes and socks to children in need
13) Send homemade cards to missionaries
14) Say kind words to a stranger
15) Write a kind note to a friend
16) Leave an extra tip for someone for the holidays
17) Write a love note to a spouse/child and put it somewhere to surprise them
18) Leave chalk messages on your friend's/neighbor's driveway
19) Find a parking attendant who works outside and bring him a hot cocoa
20) Get 5 Book of Mormons and pray to find families who need them
21) Call someone you love just to catch up
22) See how many candy canes your children can distribute in the community during the month of December
23) Host a baking party and encourage everyone to "light up" the season for others once they depart (mine is Dec 12)
24) Set up a cocoa stand and give donations to a charity of your choice
I stole some ideas from this blog. What a GREAT blog! Even if we only do half of these, I will be proud to have paid it forward this season.
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