12 Days of Christmas {Giving Edition}

Yesterday I told you a little about how we’re Reconstructing Christmas around here. I hope to inspire your family with an abundance of ideas for giving, family-style.

Before we get started, I have to say–this is not a list we’re trying to complete. It’s so easy to get stuck there, in the trying. If we’re just trying to love God by loving people, I’m afraid we’ve missed something important.

God isn’t looking for a grand performance, even when it comes to giving. He’s looking for hearts fully committed to Him. Whenever I get a little too wrapped up in what I’m doing, I have to go back to this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength…and love your neighbor as yourself.

12 Days of Christmas {Giving Edition}:

1. Start with Shoeboxes. I feel like everyone knows about Operation Christmas Child, but just in case, it’s our favorite way to give at Christmas. We collect items year-round, watch shoebox videos online, make cards for the kids and pray for the ones who’ll receive them. Local organizations collect boxes in November, but it’s not too early to get started for next year.

2. Care for the Homeless. Pack bags or backpacks with soap, washcloths, toothbrushes, blankets, peanut butter and jelly, crackers, and a Chick-Fil-A gift card. Have the kids make cards, and then give the kits away. Or, head downtown one morning with donuts and coffee (or bottled water) to give out.

3. Reach Out Together. Serve food at a soup kitchen, help at the rescue mission, or put bags of food together at Stop Hunger Now. If your kids are younger, shop for Angel Tree gifts to love on children of prisoners, or for the rescue mission’s most urgent needs. Be sure to shop and deliver the goods together. If you know a single mom, invite her kids over so she can rest or get some things done. Take her family a meal, or give that hard-working Mama an anonymous gift card.

4. Ask your kids for ideas. Our kids thought we should ask neighbors (and grandparents) for some chores they could do to serve. They also suggested selling some legos (in bulk on ebay) and using the profits to feed the hungry. I wonder what yours will come up with!

5. Give Blessing Bags. People in our community serve us all year long, so we’ve made up little bags of candy with THANK YOU and a note to say they are a blessing and we hope they’ll be blessed this Christmas. Ours are simple–a candy cane, some peppermint patties, and chocolates. We’ll give them to librarians, our regular grocery cashiers, the mailman, and many more.

6. Serve the Servers: We love this idea from our Pastor, and it’s certainly not only for Christmastime. Before you pray over the food, ask your server if there’s anything you can pray for them. And then do it. Tip generously, and leave them a blessing bag.

1. Take milk and cookies to your local firestation, with a thank you note. If your kids like to draw, let them use their skills to draw firefighters in action and give them to your community helpers.

2. Be Neighborly. Bake some yummy bread or treats and drop in on your neighbors. Better yet, invite the neighbors on your street over for an open house one evening. Serve drinks and treats but keep it simple. Or start with one neighbor you don’t know well, and invite them over for dinner.

3. Pay & Pray: Next time you drive through Starbucks, pay for the next car’s order and pray for them.

4. Love-on-Purpose. Pick a day (or more) to actively look for small ways to love people. At home, play a game the kids love, and do each other’s chores. While out and about–hold doors, return shopping carts for others, and do random acts of  Christmas kindness.

5. Sponsor a Child through Compassion International. If you already sponsor, send a special handmade Christmas card and a small online gift to your child. In-country staff will purchase items, and you’ll hear about it!

6. Have a “Shop-In” family dinner with the Compassion catalog. Place an order online to support families in crisis, to care for a child waiting for a sponsor, to buy a goat for a family’s livelihood, or provide HIV/Aids testing and treatment.

We find that a lot of great intentions slip past us these days, unless we set a date and time. So make it a plan!

Oh, and this one’s probably just for me, but with all of these fun things to do for others—don’t lose sight of your closest neighbors, the ones you live with, who need your love more than anyone.

Merry Christmas!