Time certainly slows down for no one, especially during the holiday season. I always have the greatest of intentions to make sure that my family’s focus is on the true spirit of the season, the spirit of giving, to try and put kindness first, to appreciate the beauty of family and loved ones…but quite often I admit, I fail to fully deliver on my mission. This is especially apparent at midnight on Black Friday when I am trying to get an awesome deal on something that will most likely be just another object to eventually collect dust in my home, after being played with for all of 2 hours. Every year while waiting in lines that wrap through parking lots, around the the perimeters of stores, and between the crowds of people being corralled through aisles like sheep, I stand there shaking my head at myself, that how once again I got suckered into the hustle and bustle, and forgot my mission. No wonder my little tidbits of inspiration and good will I torture my children with seem to sometimes fall on deaf ears, I can be just as misguided and distracted.
The idea of thinking of others with kindness (because we all know it is a lot easier to focus on the negative) is something I try emphasize to my children daily, but I do really love to put some extra effort into during the holiday season. I mean let’s
face it, my kids have been compiling their Christmas lists for themselves since school started, yet the idea of letting their brother or sister choose the television show, or pick up a toy someone else may have gotten out, seems to continually be lost in translation. Of course I do understand that developmentally it is not uncommon for young children, and adolescents to be dare I say a tad selfish…okay, okay maybe I am being a little generous with “tad”, so this is why I found myself looking for age appropriate ways of pushing the “mission” this year…and hopefully to keep us all on track!
Thanks to social media, every year I see on my Facebook feed, all of my friends who have either been recipients, or the providers of random acts of kindness…random acts of doing for others, with no expectations in return, accept a warm feeling that for that moment in time all is right in the world. I figure why not bring that into my home hoping (slightly forcing) my kids to do the same for their 
family and community around them. I apparently am not the only one to have come to this revelation, since all you need to type into an internet browser is “Random Acts of Kindness”, and you are fully immersed into the world of doing for others. I even confronted my love hate relationship with Pinterest, and found some crafty and inspiring ways to spread the kindness and the love. There are pretty charts, embellished jars, and wall hangings all of which are all way above my level of creativity, but then again I fully accepted my crafting limitations long ago. Practical works in our house better than pretty, because pretty never lasts too long. At http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2013/07/random_acts_of_kindness_ideas/ it lists tons
of ideas from a simple card or note, to a creative package to send overseas. Ideas for any budget or any time constraints. If you go to http://lifeyourway.net/printables/random-acts-of-kindness-advent.pdf , you will find 101 Christmas Acts of Kindness that are printable, which allows you to pick and choose depending on what suits your family best. Some of my favorites so far I found on http://www.eatsleepbe.com/2012/02/acts-of-kindness-for-kids/ because it provides a list of some common sense, thoughtful things that my kids
could continue to act on throughout the year.
I hope that with a little extra emphasis this holiday season on acting with kindness, it will help to remind my family of what this season is truly about. That after all the presents are opened, the food all devoured, and parties all attended…that the true gifts came with the pleasure of spending priceless moments with family and friends, and that a sweet simple smile, or kind word will resonates with someone always.
