Be sure to read the first blog in our Holiday Series to get the most of out of the Series!
After having such wonderful experiences with random acts of kindness during the holidays I knew we couldn’t stop after Christmas. I started asking myself why we wait until Christmas to be so thoughtful and giving. We really shouldn’t have to have a reason. Isn’t this just the way we should live? There are 364 other days in the year and opportunities for kindness abound if you just open your eyes and your heart.
I didn’t want to forget a single moment. So, I decided to make notes as we did random acts of kindness throughout the year. That’s when it hit me.
I would compile notes about our random acts of kindness then take the collection and give it as a gift at Christmas! Hoping to inspire those on our gift list, I was super excited to give this a try.
When I sat down in December to merge all the snip-its I’d written throughout the year, I ended up with pages and pages! I realized the only way to make everything fit was to create a booklet, so that’s what I did.
In the booklet I explained how, as a family, we recognized that all of us were so fortunate to not be in need. I explained that, instead of spending money on unneeded or unwanted presents, we took advantage of opportunities to be kind throughout the year and chose to spend our money that way.
We were always thinking about our family as we did the kind deeds, excited and hopeful that they would enjoy reading about them later. Sometimes we even speculated about what everyone might say.
Once finished compiling the booklet, I titled it, "The Code for OursELVES," and had it processed and printed with a nice cover at a local printer. It cost less than what I would normally spend on one present. I slipped a booklet into an envelope for each family on our list and topped it with a bow.
Most said nothing. The two that did say something said enough. My grandmother said, “Now THAT is a gift. I love what you did. Thank you so much for sharing that.” My mother in law told me that she thought it was a wonderful idea and she planned to leave the booklet out and read it periodically throughout the year. So, though it may not have received the response we hoped it would from everyone, I realized that wasn't really the point. We gave from our hearts and that was all that really mattered.
Of all the gifts we’ve given, of all the different things we’ve tried, this is, by far, my all-time favorite. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving. When we go back and read these things, we feel all those wonderful feelings again. We wonder where some of those folks are now. We wonder if they remember or ever think about these moments like we do.
See what you think! Scroll through our booklet.
And keep in mind, you don’t have to do a fancy booklet, or make everything rhyme. That’s just my M.O. Do it your way! Just start keeping notes in your phone and go from there. I think you'll see that you'll be too excited not to share. :)
Here's to 364 more!
The Mission Mom