This article originally published on December 13, 2012.
Every year our family does the 12 Days of Christmas. We choose a family that is in need of some added Christmas cheer and we secretly deliver gifts every night before Christmas. The kids love to sneak up, drop the gift, ring the bell and run as fast as they can so they don’t get caught. It is amazing what joy this brings to our family and to the family trying so hard to guess who their secret friends are.
As much as I love this tradition, and highly recommend it to your family, in this post, I’ve suggested ultra-simple ways that you can celebrate the “12 Days of Christmas Kindness” in your family without finding one family to serve or even doing something outside your home some days!
You can keep it very simple and just have your family brainstorm a bunch of simple kind acts that you can do together or individually. Then pick your top twelve and write each act of service on a slip of paper. Put all the papers in a box (it can be a cute box covered in holiday paper if you want – but any old box will do!) and draw out one paper each day.
- Buy a pack of gum for your cashier
- Buy a hot chocolate and take it to the Salvation Army Ringers
- Give soup to someone who is living on the street
- Make cookies and take them to a neighbor
- Write a thank you card for someone
- Don’t yell at your kids for a day 🙂
- Do someone else’s household chores for them for a day.
- Give a compliment to everyone in your family.
- Really listen to your child/parent when they talk or ask you something
- Take a bag of doggie treats to a dog you know or to the local animal shelter
- Go caroling (it doesn’t need to be a big deal – just practice a couple favorite songs a time or two and go visit a couple homes – people love it!)
- Prepare a simple song (singing or on instruments) and go perform at the local nursing home or the home of someone you know who’d apprecaite it
- Take food to the local food bank
- Help in a soup kitchen
- Pay off someone’s credit card at a local store
- Make a Christmas card for your coach, dance class teacher, music teacher or other instructor
- Make a Christmas card for your school teacher
- Do something nice for your sister/brother
- Find a chore to do without being asked
- Shovel someone else’s driveway/walks
- Call or email or text a relative to tell them that you love them
- Write a letter or draw a picture for a cousin and mail or email it to them
- Make Christmas cards for your grandparents
- Deliver a little gift to a friend or neighbor
- Do something nice for your mom
- Do something nice for your dad
- Add your own great ideas!
Let’s make this year an extra memorable one by doing simple acts of kindness to help us stay in the true spirit of Christmas.
Please share your ideas, if you have done something like this before or if you are trying it this year we would love to hear from you!
Image courtesy of zirconicusso / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Our family is doing something similar. Our goal is to do 25 acts of service before Christmas. We started December 1st. Ours have been as simple as waiting outside the doors at church and holding the doors open for people. We have written Christmas cards and put them on peoples cars at Walmart, my kids gathered their change and put it in the Salvation Army bucket etc. Nothing fancy, but hopefully helping my kids look outside themselves and seeing another’s need.
Wonderful! I love it so much and love that you are doing simple things that the kids can be a part of… that is what it is all about. When the kids can be involved then it really makes it memorable and makes a greater impact on their little hearts and those they are serving! Thank you so much for sharing and enjoy your service filled holiday… I am sure it will be one to remember!