mommymilkies Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Rules: This is a feel good thread. This is not the place to complain about the poor, or rich. Keep your politics and tax complaints out of this thread. You do not have to spend money to participate. How about we talk about happy things that are going on this season? Either random acts of kindness you are doing, donations of time, money, or cheering words given by or to you? Good news and holiday fun? It's been a bit dreary lately for many, and I feel the need to cheer up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 I guess I'll start it off? A couple days ago we bought books and coloring books for kids in the hospital. I let the kids pick them out. My kids walked around handing out candy canes and kind words to strangers at the mall and Toys R Us. We went today and bought doughnuts for the fire station and wished them a Merry Christmas. We are trying to do more, as the budget allows. We've only spent $13 so far. Our next plan is to take blankets, towels, and food to the animal shelter (and I'll try not to cry at all of the homeless pets). We're also hoping to make caramels and truffles to neighbors. After our family Christmas shindig, the kids will take toys to Toys 4 Tots if they are still taking them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 I'll play! This has been a very different Christmas season for us, simply because my kids are in school for the first time. Lots of challenges, but it's been fun attending my dd's choir concert, band concert, choir nursing home visits, buying secret Santa stuff, donating baked goods for concerts/events....it almost feels like I've been forced into feeling Christmas-y whether I want to or not! And this year, that's a good thing. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Love it!! We'll start our Saturday volunteering at the local pet shelter. We'll end it by seeing a local production of The Nutcracker and then walking around enjoying our town's Night of Lights. We're all really looking forward to it, especially since it's finally cooled down here. Youngest said it's starting to feel like Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k2bdeutmeyer Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Great idea!! We organized a group of people who sponsored a WTM family this Christmas. It was a wonderful experience. We didn't have a lot to contribute ourselves, but it was so, so rewarding to put it together :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elinor Everywhere Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Oh, and we're gathering diapers, bottles, and other infant supplies and donating them through my dd's homeschool honor society. Also, we've put together 4 bags of groceries for Meals on Wheels (through our church), are buying a gift for a nursing home resident and then attending a party there where the gifts will be distributed and we'll talk and mingle with the residents. I'm happy to be forced to pull out of myself this year....I feel blah with absolutely no reason for feeling so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 It's finally cooling here, too. It was colder on Halloween than the first week of December! My kids can't wait for snow. Someone bought me my coffee at Starbucks a few months ago and I hope to have enough to pass that on next time we're near one. I have two extra older Christmas trees I was going to look around to give away...if I can get in my attic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 Oh, and we're gathering diapers, bottles, and other infant supplies and donating them through my dd's homeschool honor society. Also, we've put together 4 bags of groceries for Meals on Wheels (through our church), are buying a gift for a nursing home resident and then attending a party there where the gifts will be distributed and we'll talk and mingle with the residents. I'm happy to be forced to pull out of myself this year....I feel blah with absolutely no reason for feeling so. Great idea. Dh's college's single parent/teen parent program got a new director, so I've been trying to figure out who to contact about a support group & where to donate some baby stuff. I've felt blah, too. My child support stopped for 2 months, so I figured we couldn't have Christmas this year. We started doing these RAK and the checks came back, so now we can do more. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 The highlight of my children's year so far has been packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. This was DS2's first year to pack a shoebox, and it was so fun to see him so into it and so excited about presents for another little boy. We are all really enjoying reading lots of Christmas books together this year! My 10yo decorated the house (it's not my favorite thing to do), and we have cookies in the freezer. DH will have several days off, and we're all looking forward to a relaxing holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 We wanted to do the shoeboxes, too, but they are $20 each to send out! Is that the only Operation child-like program? We made blankets for charity a few years ago, but I can't find the website with donation options anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 This is the first year in probably a decade that I haven't got a hands-on fall volunteer project going. I do not feel great about that, but with the kids in school and having various medical needs, and me working mega hours 7 days per week, I just couldn't come up with anything. That said, my donations this year are higher and to a broader range of recipients. And I'm planning a trip after Christmas to the girls' birth country, and they have experessed a desire to do something for the poor people there. I'm not sure exactly what that will be, yet. Next summer, I'm planning to take the girls to India and spend some time at the orphanages and slum schools that we support there. Better late than never. Meanwhile, I'm steeped in the Christmas spirit, as my kids attend a Lutheran church and school. Pretty hard to avoid, even if you wanted to. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruby Rose Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Belks was handing out yummy sugar cookies yesterday when we were there having our family pictures made. Mmmmm! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenangelcat Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Hubby is coming home for two weeks. He's been out of province for most of the past 3 months. We're all going crazy counting down the days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted December 13, 2012 Author Share Posted December 13, 2012 Hubby is coming home for two weeks. He's been out of province for most of the past 3 months. We're all going crazy counting down the days. Yay! I love your blog, btw. :) India sounds amazing, SKL. I really hope to have enough to take my kids somewhere like that one of these days to volunteer or just *see* at the very least. Ruby Sue-now I want cookies! Lol! Yum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 We wanted to do the shoeboxes, too, but they are $20 each to send out! Is that the only Operation child-like program? We made blankets for charity a few years ago, but I can't find the website with donation options anymore. I'm not sure. It is true that doing the shoeboxes is not too cheap. We would have only done two this year, but someone offered to pay for the shipping, so that I could divert the shipping money for two boxes into gifts for a third -- that person wanted my 4yo to have the experience of doing a shoebox for a boy his age. I know the organization that does the shoeboxes (Samaritan's Purse) has other gift ministries, some of which are pretty inexpensive. I just read about Give Jewelry too, which seems like a neat option. I believe Project Linus and Warm Up America are two charities that take handmade blankets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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