Holidays are Getting Closer
I know...we're not even at Thanksgiving yet. And I truly believe in celebrating one holiday at a time. (No matter what the commercials may tell me). I'm prepping for Thanksgiving today. I *think* all the groceries I need have been bought. (Not including the wine...that will come later.) I've already done some "pre" cleaning and hope the guys will help me with some finishing touches on Wednesday and early Thursday. (Remember my last blog???).
But with life gets hectic. And I just don't want to face shopping once Black Friday arrives and goes. The last of my holiday gifts I will get BEFORE Thanksgiving. And in all fairness, I have a very small family and a very small shopping list, so I CAN do this. And my holiday shopping this weekend does sort of tie into Thanksgiving and the season of gratitude (which should continue all year long).
The finishing touches of my holiday shopping will be done on Sunday...at church of all places! Every year my church holds what is called an "Alternative Christmas Mall". After services, tables are set up and various local charities man these tables. Instead of making tangible purchase, you can make a donation to the organization of your choice in any amount, and you are given a "gift" card to fill out to give your loved one saying a donation has been made. It's a great idea! Everyone has someone they feel they "have" to buy a gift for. Or someone who has it all, but you still want to give them a little something. This is the perfect way to do it. It only costs what I chose to donate. And I know that the money is going to a good cause.
Although this is done through my church, it would be easy for anyone to make a donation to any charity. Instead of tie for Uncle Joe why not make a donation to...St Jude's Children's Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, Your local food bank...whatever your choice is (and I am not endorsing any of the above, they were just same names that came to mind). Then just print out your own card/letter and present to Uncle Joe for the holidays. It makes sense, doesn't it?
The other "holiday" think I did already was start writing holiday cards. Only not my traditional cards to friends and relatives. I wrote out a few cards and put them in an envelope to Holiday Mail for Heroes.
http://www.redcross.org/support/get-involved/holiday-mail-for-heroes. How simple it was to just write out a card to a service man or woman wishing them the best for the holidays and saying thank you. It was so simple that I did a half dozen or so and will be sending them out tomorrow. In order to get them out in time for the holidays, the organization has a deadline of December 6th, which is only 2 weeks away. So rather than put it off, I put on some holiday music and set down and wrote. Took very little of my time and hopefully it will help make some one's holiday a little brighter.
So while I don't want to rush the holidays upon us...taking a few minutes to do the above not only put me in the holiday spirit, but made me even more thankful for what I have right now in my life.
But with life gets hectic. And I just don't want to face shopping once Black Friday arrives and goes. The last of my holiday gifts I will get BEFORE Thanksgiving. And in all fairness, I have a very small family and a very small shopping list, so I CAN do this. And my holiday shopping this weekend does sort of tie into Thanksgiving and the season of gratitude (which should continue all year long).
The finishing touches of my holiday shopping will be done on Sunday...at church of all places! Every year my church holds what is called an "Alternative Christmas Mall". After services, tables are set up and various local charities man these tables. Instead of making tangible purchase, you can make a donation to the organization of your choice in any amount, and you are given a "gift" card to fill out to give your loved one saying a donation has been made. It's a great idea! Everyone has someone they feel they "have" to buy a gift for. Or someone who has it all, but you still want to give them a little something. This is the perfect way to do it. It only costs what I chose to donate. And I know that the money is going to a good cause.
Although this is done through my church, it would be easy for anyone to make a donation to any charity. Instead of tie for Uncle Joe why not make a donation to...St Jude's Children's Hospital, Habitat for Humanity, Your local food bank...whatever your choice is (and I am not endorsing any of the above, they were just same names that came to mind). Then just print out your own card/letter and present to Uncle Joe for the holidays. It makes sense, doesn't it?
The other "holiday" think I did already was start writing holiday cards. Only not my traditional cards to friends and relatives. I wrote out a few cards and put them in an envelope to Holiday Mail for Heroes.
http://www.redcross.org/support/get-involved/holiday-mail-for-heroes. How simple it was to just write out a card to a service man or woman wishing them the best for the holidays and saying thank you. It was so simple that I did a half dozen or so and will be sending them out tomorrow. In order to get them out in time for the holidays, the organization has a deadline of December 6th, which is only 2 weeks away. So rather than put it off, I put on some holiday music and set down and wrote. Took very little of my time and hopefully it will help make some one's holiday a little brighter.
So while I don't want to rush the holidays upon us...taking a few minutes to do the above not only put me in the holiday spirit, but made me even more thankful for what I have right now in my life.
At first I thought that said "pie" cleaning instead of pre cleaning and I was wondering how I was going to get in on that. Once I realized it was regular cleaning...ick.
ReplyDeleteDoing something for others usually makes you feel better about yourself! =)