Merry
Christmas!
The boys' school is collecting items for victims of Hurricane Sandy. This was a perfect opportunity to help the boys get into the RACK mindset - anything they say or do at school is, of course, accepted and followed without question. They say donate things to hurricane relief, they do it.
One of the things on the "requested" list was gently used jammies and blankets, neither of which we are in short supply of in this house! The other day, I went to school with a literal garbage bag full of warm, cozy pajamas and blankets for kids in need.
The boys are eager to see what we will do next. On tap so far, we have donate books to the local summer library, adopt a family who need some specific items for their holiday list (thanks for the hook up, Ashley!), cookies for the firefighters, cards for the elderly, quarters on the bouncy ball machines, a care package for a soldier (thanks Marissa for that hook up). We will donate clothes and toys, coats for kids, headbands to Children's cancer patients... I have so many ideas but with my life being hectic enough, sometimes I bite off more than I can chew. This Random Acts of Christmas Kindness is something I REALLY want to do, so hopefully I can get it done.
I guess I should back up and save the new readers some effort. RACK stands for Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. I did not think of the acronym myself, I saw it on Pintrest and borrowed it. (Most of my awesome ideas come from Pintrest, then I add my flair.)
This has been a roller coaster year for our family - we added a new baby, which is wonderful, but also an added expense, of course. I didn't get paid for my maternity leave, so we are still catching up on bills from that. Normally, I shop all year long so I can have a Christmas tree overflowing with gifts, but, the lack of income for part of the year put a damper on that. I know my kids will be happy with whatever is under the tree on Christmas morning, and I also know we are blessed with the family and friends we have, who would never, ever let our kids go without.
I have made the conscious decision to drastically reduce our carnival Christmas. There will be plenty for everyone, but in relation to what they're used to, it may seem small. I want my kids to grow up knowing Christmas is about family and friends and love and helping others. I do not want them growing up to be entitled brats. We live in a mixed socio-economic area - some kids at their school live in $4 million homes, and some live in a trailer or the local motel.
I really want our family to be reminded that sometimes it is far better to give than to receive. I found a lot of quotes that seemed fitting so I want to post them here in case I need a reference for next year, or in case you need ideas for your own RACK.
The
degree of loving is measured by the degree of giving
-Edwin Louis Cole
When you learn, teach.When you get, give.-Maya Angelou
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill
It's
not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
―
Mother Theresa
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