Visitors for Christmas ------ Angels of Kindness

I have been in the Christmas Spirit more this year than in the last few years. Now that my children are getting older, they are becoming old enough to understand the importance of Christmas. I am finding myself, this year, wanting to start new fun and exciting traditions with them, while keeping the True Meaning of Christmas at the center. I want them to have wonderful Christmas memories when they get older. A new thing I have been contemplating doing with them is Elf on the Shelf. I have been hearing a lot about it the last few years and thought it was a cute idea, and it looked like a lot of fun. While hashing back and forth whether or not to start Elf on the shelf this year, I ran across an interesting blog post that a Facebook friend shared. It is from the Imaginationtree, where the blogger speaks about doing Kindness Elves. She gives an interesting read on why she decides to tweak the Elf on the Shelf idea, and I think she makes some interesting points. (If you are doing Elf on the Shelf, please do not be offended. It just doesn't suit her family's needs.) After reading the article, my mind began turning. (I love taking ideas and revamping them to fit our family’s style and needs!) The more I began thinking on the Kindness Elves, the more I fell in love with the idea. I don't know about your household, but in mine, it is so hard for me to keep my children's minds on "giving" instead of "receiving" during this time of year. My heart’s desire is to raise thoughtful and kind children, and that they will be more cognizant of others than themselves; and according to the last few weeks, things haven't been looking good. The excitement of Christmas has been running rampant in our house, but so has the spirit of selfishness. I thought the Kindness Elves could be a perfect little "touch" in our house, during this time of year, to emphasize kindness, love, and giving. I love the Kindness Elves idea, but I am wanting something a little more “real."

 

So the Lord gave me an idea. (I love it when the Lord gives me ideas because, when He gives them, they smoothly come together). He reminded me that, in the Bible, angels are always sent to give mankind a message. I thought, “That is it! Angels of Kindness will be sent from God to our house every Christmas season on December 1st, and they will stay in our house until December 25th to deliver Kindness Missions to our family.” I am making the "missions" age appropriate for the children. I found our "angels" at Target ($3 each), and I had to glue their wings on using construction paper. Our angels are named Gabriela and Sarephina. Each morning they will be in a new, fun place in the house for the children to find their next "Kindness Mission". The angels will be watching how kind the children act throughout the Christmas Season, encouraging them to be unselfish and thoughtful, and highlighting in their morning notes their kind acts from the day before. The one thing on which I am really focusing is making this a fun traditional and positive atmosphere. My goal the last few months has been to make our home negative-free. Sometimes, whether we mean for them to or not, negative attitudes of our society creep into our homes and attitudes. The Angels of Kindness are here to remind us that a kind word or deed can mean the world to others, and it can change their Christmas season for the better. As the children grow older, the Kindness Missions will grow more intense. Here are a few ideas so far for our Kindness Missions:

*Make a card for someone sad this year - someone who has lost a loved one this past year.

*Make cookies for a neighbor.

*Make something special for a family member (favorite snack, draw a picture)

*Clean up something for someone else.

*Speak a kind word to someone in the grocery store.

*Buy a gift for someone who is sick this Christmas.

*Write a Christmas card to a soldier with a special treat.

*Sing a Christmas Carol to someone in our neighborhood.

*Visit someone who is lonely this year and take them flowers.

*Take coloring books to the Children’s Hospital.

*Make food/supply baggies for the Homeless.

Whether you choose to do the Elf on the Shelf, the Kindness Elves, the Angels of Kindness, or some other little fun tradition, remember to always emphasize LOVE for others. “…the greatest of these is [LOVE]” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."

Hebrews 13:2