Two different bloggers have challenged themselves to do one random act of kindness each day from December 1 to December 25. I’ve been so inspired by read their posts and wanted to pass them along to you:
Are you doing something similar? Tell us about it!
I have been doing 25 days of kindness on my blog also for Advent.
I am planning to do 30 acts of kindness on my 30th birthday, next month. 🙂
I’m fortunate to belong to a group on Ravelry (a knit and crochet forum) called Sisters Crocheted and Knitted in Christ. These women look out for each other in the most loving fashion. The moderators secretly pm’d several of us asking if we could send 12 gifts for a 12 Days of Christmas RAOK surprise to about a dozen women who are struggling financially, emotionally or in other ways. The gal who I surprised received my package this week and she was brought to tears by the kindness. But I know I was more blessed than her. It made me forget about my troubles and worries and focus on someone else, who I never even met!
Wonderful, thank-you for sharing! Once a week I help at a local shelter by giving out dinner with other volunteers. So much is received each time we give of ourselves. Your post is a wonderful reminder!
Crystal,
I was startled when I stumbled across your post on RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS… God must be doing something right now. I’m doing something very similar … I’m calling it 12 Days of Joy (and it’s all about doing 12 Random Acts of Kindness) to spread joy to the world this month. I was inspired by More Love Letters.
I’m so happy for the spreading of joy this month. Thanks for sharing.
Renee
P.S. My 12 Days of Joy is located at
http://renee-joyjourney.com
if others need resources.
This has inspired me to give each of my girl scouts $1 and see what they can come up with to help someone else.
We have worked some into our daughter’s advent calendar activities this year – we’ve given out gift cards, left change in vending machines, given flowers to strangers in the parking lot, taken things to the food pantry, donated gifts, etc. It’s a great way to teach her what Christmas should really be about and have fun at the same time.
I love these ideas 🙂
I need to remember to do this next year!
I love reading these ideas. So inspiring and re-focuses me for the season. Thank you all!
Our church does something similar every December. They print up these business cards that say “Something extra to show that God loves you.” On the back it has information about our church. It’s a nice ministry and way for us to bless someone and show them what the church really is about. We also email them to our church and they tweet out the anonymous ways that we have blessed people this season. It’s really cool to see! Sometimes those cards get paid forward and change lives in big ways!
This is awesome! A friend of mine just posted on facebook that a little girl and her mom came up to her in Walmart today and handed her an envelope and said they chose her to give a Christmas present to. They walked away and my friend opened the envelope and there was a $20 gift card inside! She was SO grateful! What an awesome example to that little girl. And what a blessing to my friend.
Those are some great ideas! What I have done is to tuck 2 $1 bills (one of each of my boys) randomly through our advent calendar – on days I know we will be out and about. Once they get their dollar, they are to think about how they can use that dollar to bless someone else. The first day one child picked out a toothbrush for the local men’s shelter, and my other child bought 2 boxes of macaroni and cheese for the food bank. Since then they have come up with great ideas like a pound of fruit at .99/lb, a small pack of hand warmers, chap stick, and even a box of candy canes (“to pass out to people as we tell them Merry Christmas!”). They are really starting to look for bargains and ways to stretch their dollar! I love that they are getting real world experience with budgeting, dealing with cashiers and figuring tax (I pitch in a few cents for that) and that they really take ownership of the responsibility of thinking of what would be a blessing to someone else – not just them!!
We have been doing something similar as we made up a ‘good deed’ Advent calendar. Each day has a special treat for my three kids and a little slip of paper with a fun, sweet activity for them to do each day–some within the family, some outside. We’ve put extra change into candy machines, left sweet notes for Daddy around the house, called a relative and told them they loved them, and so on. So far, it’s been quite fun and the kids are disappointed if we can’t do the activity RIGHT NOW, lol!
LOVE that association with the Advent Calendar. Reciprocating after receiving something.
A friend and I started a blog this year specifically about having a more Christ and service centered Christmas call Revolution:Christmas.
We have started a Random Act of Kindness List and it is still growing:)
http://revolutionchristmas.blogspot.com/2011/11/random-acts-of-kindness.html
Check it out and some of the other posts! Posts on talking to your kids about not getting so many presents or toys at Christmas, alternatives to wrapping paper and Christmas trees.
Merry Christmas and God bless!
Wendy
what wonderful Ideas that I can do with my soon to be 4 year old and one year old!!! Love it!
I love these ideas! I am doing a 12 days of Christmas for my husband. Had fun yesterday planning it out! Doing all cheap to free things:
1 homemade cappuccino in a new mug (from the dollar store) before he heads off to his last finals
2 new pens with a note
3 coupons for a massage from me
4 scriptures about love
5 an email with five of our favorite love songs
6 adjectives that describe him, written out with why they do
7 post-it notes around our room (we’ll be at his parents house for 9 of the 12 days)
8 of his favorite gummy candies
9 things I appreciate about him, emailed
10 a box of ten chocolate covered cherries
11 candles lit in our bedroom that evening
12 of my favorite memories with him, emailed
I’m doing the 12 days of Christmas for my husband, too. I love your ideas. Here are some of mine http://a-heart4home.blogspot.com/2011/12/12-days-of-christmas-blessing-my.html
Oh, those are some good ideas too! I’m still iffy on my day 8, because I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get the gummy candies in time. They’re only sold in Canada (where we will be visiting his parents), so I can’t get them pre-trip. Plus we just decided we would try to only take one checked bag on the plane (for all three of us including baby!), soo since we’re sharing luggage I am now trying to figure out where to hide the stuff…
I love this idea! I know this is a weird question, but will you begin on the 14h and end on the 25th? Or will your “12th day” be the 24th of December? Trying to decide…
I am starting on the 13th (tomorrow) and ending on Christmas Eve. The blog I got the idea from said that is what she does, and I think it will work out better that way for us.
Thanks, Kimberly!!
My 43rd birthday is Dec 18, and our family is committed to doing 43 RAK on that weekend. We are making a list — this will help a lot! Thanks!
Hi,
Thanks for sharing these. What beautiful actions, which make people smile & that reinstates their belief in kindness, joy of giving.
I decided that each time I am in the Starbucks drive thru I am going to pay for the person behind me! I did it yesterday and the barista was so surprised I did know the person and was just doing it to be nice. I just asked her to tell the person Merry Chritmas and to pay it forward. It was so gratifying to do something nice even though they couldn’t say thank you. Hopefully it made their day a little brighter and they will feel encouraged to do something kind for someone else.
Merry Chritmas
*did not know the person
Erica I would love to pay for the person behind me like you do, but how do you know how much to prepay? Do you just choose an amount?
If there is already someone behind you, the barista should know their total before your drink is ready to go. 😉
Although it is a Random Act of Kindness to the person at Starbucks, they likely can afford more than so many by the fact they are getting that coffee. I was thinking of some grocer/gas station where those of less means might be struggling to buy products.
My sister did something similar for her own 26th birthday. She decided she wanted for her b-day to be a blessing to others, so she did something or gave something to 26 ppl that she knew would be a blessing to them 🙂