Free Christmas Joy

 
Ideas abound on the internet and elsewhere this time of year for ways to spend less during the holiday season. The desire to live more simply is also a common theme as are articles on how to combat stress and the holiday blues.
 
Our Christmas celebration has changed drastically over the past four years. My husband had a stroke in 2004 that left him with partial right-sided paralysis and aphasia. He was a creative handyman around the house but now we have to rely on others or hire someone if I cannot do it myself. And he is super sensitive to the cold weather so doesn't venture outside on days when the temps are below freezing. These are just minor details of the 180 degree turnaround our life has taken.
 
The holidays always seem to crystalize the changes we've had to make. We used to get a tree that was at least nine feet tall and it was my husband's job to set it up and string the lights. Obviously that tradition is a thing of the past. We now have a small artificial tree that sits on a table. At the end of the holidays I wrap it up and my son carries it downstairs. The following December, he carries it back up and except for a few dislodged ornaments, the tree is up and decorated.
 
One of the things I have learned these past few years is how much a kind word or action, a random act of kindness, can mean. Whether or not it is obvious that someone is going through a difficult season, even a small act of kindness can have a huge effect. I have been on the receiving end many times and so speak from experience. And since we all know that it's better to give than to receive, I think that a random act of kindness can go a long way in our struggle to find meaning in this hectic holday season.
 
Rowena Alegria, writing in Stroke Smart magazine this month, suggests just that. Spread the Kindness This Season is her article giving 31 ideas that we can use to make someone's day or holiday a little brighter. Here are a few of her ideas (and a couple of mine thrown in). See if you can't find something you can do.
 
Pay a visit, lend a hand, say hello

Wave back at children who wave at you (or wave first!)

Share a smile, forgive mistakes, lend an ear

Open a door, let another go first, be tolerant

Offer a hug, compliment a stranger, praise someone's cooking

Check on a neighbor who lives alone

Reach an item on a high shelf for someone shorter than you

Help someone carry or lift a heavy item

Bring in a neighbor's mail on a cold day

Shovel a neighbor's driveway

Remove obstacles from a road or walking path

Pick up litter (this is a favorite of my husband when we take walks!)

When you receive superior service, let that person's manager or supervisor know

Offer to babysit so a busy mother can do some holiday errands

Take cookies to a neighbor

Send a card to someone out of town to let them know you're thinking of them
 
Want more inspiration? Visit The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation's website for testimonies from people who have received or provided an unexpected act of kindness.
 
So there you have it: the one-size-fits-all solution to spending less, relieving stress and combating holiday blues. Try it today....and tomorrow....and the day after that....
 

She's ready for Christmas!

 
No, not me....I'm lucky to be ready by December 20th.
 
I'm talking about my 11 year old granddaughter, K.
 
You see, K and I are planning to have a yard sale later this month. I've been cleaning out closets and the basement, gathering treasures to sell and K has been doing the same at her parent's house. Almost weekly, I bring bags of books and toys over to keep in the garage until the big day.
 
Even our neighbors joined in. They recently moved away and generously contributed several boxes of previously loved goodies to K's yard sale. Up until the past week, K had not investigated her growing stash, but now she thought it was time to see what she would be putting out for sale.
 
And she was thrilled with what she found!
 
"Oh look, Grammie! My Mommy would love this! And Daddy would love this! And Nani would love that!" and so on and so on and so on....
 
By the time she was finished inspecting the boxes, K announced that she had all of her Christmas shopping done! And she was so proud of herself.
 
"This is the first time I've done my own shopping, Grammie! Everyone will be so surprised!"
 
I can see that this yard sale is going to have to be an annual event.