The Christmas Spirit.

There's just nothing like a random acts of kindness to put a smile on your face! No matter if you are the giver or the receiver, makes no matter. When you are the receiver you feel loved, noticed, appreciated. When you are the giver you receive happiness because you gave service. Either way, it's a win, win. I know I have posted about this subject before, but I really feel it is a topic worthy of keyboard strokes. It must be the fact that Christmas is on it's way that makes me notice more of the RAK going on around me. It makes my spirit happy to see people being more kind, generous and well...more Christ-like.  Which is good, that is after all why we celebrate Christmas! People have been talking about their traditions of giving and new things they plan to start doing to show love and service to others this special time of year. I have been been enchanted by hearing and seeing them. Got me thinking what we are going to do this year...I know for certain one thing that will happen and the rest is still in the works (planning and pondering stage). The one thing that I do want to start stems from a gift our family received last Christmas. Our family has never been the one in need, (until last year.) My husband was laid off his construction job last November (just before Thanksgiving) and prior to that we had been self employed (construction) and after our business suffered a serious down turn, we had used up all our savings. So my husband in his efforts to continue to support his family took an hourly rate job and then without notice was laid off. To make a long story short we had enough money to make our house payment and bills, but not enough to do Christmas on top of all the normal stuff. So I remember the "what are we going to do?" Thoughts and worries about how we were going to do Christmas for our 3 kids. This is not a feeling I am comfortable with and never want to feel again, but in the same breath I am sort of glad for the experience because it has given me a new appreciation for what others feel. Only my closest friends and family knew of the circumstances we were in and really compared to what many go through on a daily basis just trying to feed, cloth and house their families, this was nothing. But for me it was a big deal. We had not gotten a Christmas tree yet and didn't know how that would happen. One mysteriously, anonymously showed up on my porch. And another night a young man who I did not recognize, brought a frozen turkey and an envelope that forever made an impression on my soul. It was enough cash to make a Merry Christmas for our kids and without it, it would have been a disappointing morning for them. To this day I don't know who our Christmas Angel was, but Angels just the same! Our new tradition will be to pay this kind gesture forward to another family who is in need of some Christmas cheer! I am and will forever be grateful for the Random Act of Kindness shown to my family by a Christmas Angel. And am also grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who is mindful of my circumstances and answers my prayers through the the generous hearts of others. I would love to hear of your Christmas giving traditions! Will you be doing 12 Days of Christmas? Or leaving your waitress an extra big tip? Toy's for Tots? Or will you be starting something new? Whatever your giving traditions are, may God bless you for your good works!!