Have you heard about #GivingTuesday yet? Remember when the Christmas season was about giving? Good will on earth, peace towards men? When we all looked forward to Thanksgiving and sharing time with our loved ones and counting our blessings before jumping into the Christmas holiday shopping season? Back to a time when the Christmas season meant something more than comparing who spent what and how much?
Lately it seems as though Thanksgiving (and being thankful and counting our blessings) is just lost in the shuffle so to speak. Right after Halloween was over (and in some cases before it even arrived) the local stores were setting out their Christmas decorations and tree trimmings, and the Thanksgiving decorations, indeed the entire message of Thanksgiving, was relegated to an obscure corner of the back aisle.
I have lemented (quite loudly I might add) about this fact over the years. In an effort to try and re-program my own children with the core values and beliefs that their father and I were raised on, we have always had our children think about what they are most thankful for each year and we go around the table at Thanksgiving and we share stories with each other.
How You Can Participate in #GivingTuesday
Our boys know that we aren’t rich. They also know that we cannot afford all of the “wants” that they have, but we do our level best to take care of their “needs” each and every day. Here are a few things that you can do with your family.
- Have a family conversation about your favorite foods and the healthy foods you having been trying to eat. Take some of those foods from your cabinets (non perishable) and bring them to your local food pantry.
- Home Treasure Hunt! Look in your closets at home …kitchen tools, dishes, towels and sheets, toys, books, school supplies. Collect what is not being used, what hasn’t been used in a long time, and the extras you have, and donate to a program that sets up families in new homes.
- “Change of Season” – At the beginning of each new season, think of one specific item that is needed. For instance, gloves and hats for winter, socks for fall, T-shirts for summer, etc. Do a collection in your neighborhood, building, or school for just that one item and donate. The younger children enjoy counting up the number of items that have been collected.
- Hold a neighborhood yard or bake sale and donate proceeds to an organization in need.
- For an entire week or two, everyone in the family skips the “extras” Take the money you would have spent on after school treats, a special ice cream, or coffees from your favorite vendor, and collect it all in a jar. Watch it mount and donate to your local food pantry to help others get the essentials foods they need.
- Teach the next generation about the importance of pro bono service. Read them Mommy and Daddy do it Pro Bono to introduce all the budding professionals in your life to pro bono.
