Random Acts of Christmas

Genie’s Note: This is an oldie but goodie from 2017. Enjoy and take a minute to think of ways you can spread joy through random acts of Christmas or whatever holiday you may be celebrating.

One thing I like to do for the holidays is give a small (very small) token gift to people at random.   One year I hung handmade angel ornaments anonymously on neighbor’s door knobs.  Other years I have given candy canes or tea bags from a display on our door (we spent a lot of years in apartments). 

One year I grabbed a handful of holiday stick pins from our Christmas box (when Bob worked for a toy, novelty and gift company) as we were leaving for church and pinned them on people who were very special to me.   And of course, I have given away more plates of holiday goodies than I can count.

Several years ago, I gave a kid’s party for grownups. We sang carols, talked about our favorite holiday memories, made crafts and of course we ate goodies. Reindeer antlers were given out at the door and I handed out the leftovers on my daily walk.  Remember I live in a senior community.  I’ve never seen so many women over fifty smile and giggle.

What I remember most about all the things I have given out over the holidays is the reaction of the people receiving them.  Most have reacted like instead of a mere token I gave them gold.  People like to be remembered and appreciated, especially in a way that does not make them feel obligated in any way.

This year more than ever we truly “need a little Christmas.” I hope you will think about Random Acts of Christmas, Hannukah, Solstice, or whatever else you may celebrate.  This isn’t about spending a lot of money or any money for that matter.  The thought really does count.

Charity in the Heart

“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.” – Washington Irving

Let God Love Others Through You

“It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you.”
– Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Decorations don’t have to be Perfect

Don’t worry if your decorations aren’t Pinterest-perfect. Real homes smell like cookies and laughter, not cinnamon pinecones and scented candles. https://sweetdeeplove.com/holiday-quotes/

Just for Fun

This is called Shootout at the Snow Day Corral. Like I said just for fun, and it was a lot of fun creating this.

This is you chance to show off your fun winter/holiday art and craft projects or photos of outdoor winter fun. Just post a photo in the comments below.

The Friday Affirmation

 “Celebration is my way of acknowledging life’s gifts.”

Fun and Easy Ways to Shine Your light: A Gratitude Tree

Genie’s Note: An oldie but goodie worth repeating.

Take time during the holiday to create a tangible reminder of the blessings in your life.  A gratitude tree may be made using a tree branch you bring inside.  Try to use a branch that that has fallen on it’s own.  Write things you are grateful for on leaves cut from paper, create a hanger using yarn or string and hang from the branch.  Or tie ribbons to a tree or branch.

You could also turn your Christmas tree into a gratitude tree.  Or save a tree and tie your blessings to a live tree in your yard.  You can add blessing as you think of them and see how they add up or create a special blessing ceremony with readings, songs, prayers, poems or other things you find meaningful.

Of course this is a good activity to use with children.  But don’t we all need to stop and remember how blessed we truly are?

For more information on gratitude trees visit:

http://showmecrafts.blogspot.com/2009/10/gratitude-tree.html

https://feltmagnet.com/crafts/how-to-make-a-gratitude-tree

Shine, Shine, Shine

We are born to sparkle and shine. So, don’t hide your light under a bushel, NO! Let it shine for all to see.

Healthy Holiday Ideas

This is a repost of an older post, but I like to share my holiday recipes and ideas as the holidays approach. Have Youself a Healthy LIttle Holiday is still available in the Amazon Kindle Store. https://www.amazon.com/Have-Yourself-Healthy-Little-Holiday-ebook/dp/B00DCC6CQY

Let me tell you about my typical holiday meal.  The recipes in bold print are included in my Kindle book, Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday available from Amazon.com Kindle store.

  1. I like to begin the meal with a salad like my Vegetable Salad or a light soup such as Simple Sweet Potato Soup to help keep from loading up on the less healthy food later in the meal.
  2. I cook the turkey in a healthy way without adding extra fat by stuffing the cavity with butter or frying it.  I season the bird well and bake in the oven.  I do not stuff the bird but make my Corn Bead Dressing in a separate pan.
  3. Homemade Cranberry Sauce is always on our holiday table. If you can boil water, you can do this.  You can control what goes into it by making it yourself, including what you use for a sweetener.
  4. Lightly steamed fresh green beans with sliced almonds and a good squeeze of lemon juice make people forget “that casserole.”
  5. I leave the “candy” out of the yams and serve fresh sweet potatoes.  There are many ways to do this.  First there is baked.  You can fancy them up a bit by making them “twice baked”  either sweet or savory by what you add to them.  You can mash them.  You can cook them with apples and spice them up with cinnamon and nutmeg.  Our favorite is my Orange Spice Sweet Potatoes.
  6. Serve a healthy relish tray.  This was always included in the holiday meal when I was growing up and is still the best part of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner for me.  Include lots of raw fresh veggies and fruit with a few of your favorite pickles and olives if desired.  If you want dip, consider making one without cream cheese or sour cream.  This may be done using white beans or mashed cauliflower or try my Spicy Chickpea Dip.
  7. Did someone say dessert?  Bob always asks for my Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake for special occasions, but I also have other dessert recipes for you to try.

Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday includes more information on celebrating a healthier holiday season with more recipes (including holiday goodies and an egg-free/dairy-free nog), ways of celebrating without food, tips for making a healthier holiday dessert and gluten-free baking, giving holiday food gifts, choosing a gluten-free turkey, ways to enjoy the holiday dinner with food restrictions and a couple of craft projects thrown in just for fun.  Don’t forget to buy your copy today from Amazon.com/Kindle.

Too Early for Christmas?

When I hear someone complaining about holiday music and decorations before Thanksgiving I smile and think they had better not come to my house.  My nativity collection and winter village are usually up well before Thanksgiving. Sometimes I leave they up all year.  At our house any time is a good time for Christmas music and watching holiday movies.

Everyone complains about the intense month of activity and spending that surrounds the holidays, yet we still do it — every year.  Maybe we need to rethink what we’re celebrating.

What if instead we kept Christmas in our heart all year?  Recognizing the Spirit of God within us, positive upbeat music, peace on earth, goodwill to all and people being a little nicer and kinder sound like things we could use more than once a year to me. So this year instead of taking the baby out the manger, wrapping him up and putting him back on the shelf let’s keep Christmas in our hearts all year.