12 Days of Christmas Kindness – Day One
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Welcome to my 9th annual 12 Days of Christmas giveaways. In keeping with the theme of my new book Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World this year we are making the series 12 Days of Christmas Kindness, giving simple and doable ideas for reaching out to others during the Christmas season. {Each day’s posts are linked at the bottom of this post.}
There will be a fun giveaway each day {valued at $25 or more} and then an overall grand prize {or two!} valued at $100 or more! Here is how it works:
*Each day, December 5th through 16th, join us here on my blog. There will be an idea given for scattering kindness at the holidays.
*Each day will also feature a friend of mine—a blogger, author, speaker—who will be giving away a fabulous prize. {You are gonna love these generous ladies and you will really love their giveaways!!} Maybe you recognize a familiar face?
*Our goal is to get ya’ll spreading some Christmas kindness by doing the simple ideas and also–if you can–posting about it on social media using the hashtags #12DaysOfChristmasKindness and #ListenLoveRepeat. It can be a simple thought–or even better, a pic of you {and your people, if you’d like} doing the idea given for scattering kindness.
*To be entered in the 12 daily giveaways, leave a quick comment on the post each day here on the blog. You can comment on all 12 days up until midnight Pacific time, Sunday, December 18. Each day’s posts are linked at the bottom of this post. One daily winner will be chosen from each day’s comments and all winners will be announced on Monday, December 19. **U.S. Addresses only please.**
*The GRAND PRIZE winner {and a runner up or two} will be chosen by me–and my ministry team. We’ll be snooping around on social media by searching the hashtags to see who is really getting into the spirit by spreading the CHRISTmas kindness for 12 days. We will pick a grand prize winner and perhaps a few runners up. All winners will be announced Monday, December 19th.
Ok…here we go! For our first day, let’s start with our families. The idea? Stick it to ‘em!
Leave sticky notes of encouragement for your family members, along with a favorite treat, somewhere they are sure to discover them—their pillow, car dashboard, desk, backpack, bathroom mirror, etc… Tell them you love them. Write out one aspect of their personality you love or a character quality you admire in them such as, “I love how you are such a loyal friend” or “Your generosity inspires me!”
Ready? Grab a pen, sticky note, and a little treat and scatter a little kindness on your family!
Now for the GIVEAWAYS!
The prize for Day One is a copy of my newest book Listen, Love, Repeat: Other-Centered Living in a Self-Centered World. It is all about listening between the lines for who might need a healthy dose of encouragement and then doing something special to show them God’s love. I’m also including a set of these ADORABALE notecards from a new friend’s Etsy shop. I met Danielle from The Little Things when I picked up a few of her cards at local indoor farmer’s market. Aren’t they just the cutest?
Danielle is graciously giving away this set of 5 cards today AND offering any of you who’d like to order some of her things a 10% discount in her shop. Her Christmas cards, and state cards—of course Michigan is my fave—are the ones I am grabbing. Simply visit her shop and use the code “LISTENLOVEREPEAT” at check out!
Now, for the GRAND PRIZE! It includes a 6-quart programmable slow cooker, a cookbook from my friend Katie from The Dashing Dish, a Listen, Love, Repeat bundle that includes the book, 6 week Bible study DVD and two study guides to do the study with a friend, and a $50 Amazon gift card to buy any kitchen gadgets you need!
Are you ready! Let’s go!
- Leave a comment here with your thoughts on today’s idea for scattering kindness.
- Go scatter kindness with your family members.
- Post on social media using the hashtags #12DaysOfChristmasKindness and #ListenLoveRepeat. You can just post a simple thought. Or, you can save and then share one of the images here above in the post—the one with all the guests of the series or today’s Christmas kindness idea. Or, even better, post a picture of you doing the idea given for scattering kindness. Just be sure to use the hashtags #12DaysOfChristmasKindness and #ListenLoveRepeat And, if you could link to this post when you share, that would be FAB!
- All winners (daily and grand prize) will be announced Monday, December 19th. **U.S. Addresses only please.**
Now, let’s go scatter some Christmas kindness and be sure to join us for:
I love this idea, but I don’t have anyone to leave them to, and if I left them for my pets (1 cat and 1 dog) they would eat them
Put a note on my husband’s mirror along with an Allen wrench he had been looking for. Also wrote in chalk on our “I love you because” board that I loved him for him.
There’s no better time than now to spread the kindness around . . . the smallest gesture might mean the world to someone!
Love this idea. Just opened new sticky notes last night. My 5 and 3 year old love getting notes from me even though they can’t read it all. I will doodle for them or just draw a smiley. Can’t wait to leave them another note. Husband has one stuck to his phone!
I so appreciated Karen’s devotion today. I actually just spent the better part of the day setting up for our mom’s group Christmas meeting. I was just pondering (or more like grumbling) over how much work it was to set up the decor, food, devotion, and service project. I was humbled reading Karen’s devotion and my perspective is in a much better place. The few hours tomorrow that we get to spend together celebrating Christ’s birth will be such a blessing. Moms will get a much needed break, enjoy fantastic food, connect with each other and serve the community because of the preparation that has been done. What a celebration it will be!
This sounds like a great idea. Would you mind sharing more about this event and/or mom’s group?
Thanks!
Thanks for the reminder that the important thing is opening our homes… not the condition of those homes! And to do it joyfully :)
What a great idea! My husband came home from a mission trip to find a sticky note with his favorite candy bar on his pillow. My daughter has a late class on Mondays. She was pleasantly surprised to find a note and Butterfinger on her pillow.
Love this sticky idea.
Great idea! Away from my boys tonight…going to sand them a text instead.
Love this and I’m very thankful for you Karen ??
This is such a wonderful idea. I live alone so I have no one to leave notes for. What I do is make cards and send them to friends to let them know I’m thinking of them.
Kindness has been scattered :)
I love this idea! It’s so easy to forget to do these little things in the daily hustle. I’m going to put notes and Hershey kisses in my kiddos lunchboxes as soon as I’m done here!
Love this idea!!! I’ve left a note under the pillows for my sons to find and also one for my hubby. ????
Looking forward to sharing the Christmas spirit with #12daysofChristmaskindness
When I seen this pin 12 days of kindness I knew this is just what I needed in my life. I couldn’t wait to check it out and do it! It’s not even about the prizes I was hoping to give to others. Making others happy always makes me happy! I love this idea! I’m super excited!! The prizes just add the cherry on top to this lovely idea you have came up with! I wanna be more like you. You are such an inspiration to me to just be better each and every day!!! HERE WE GO!! 12 DAYS OF KINDNESS (: ???? LET’S SPREAD THE LOVE!!
#12daysofchristmaskindness
AWESOME ideal! Going by in daily life we just go hardly giving kindness, love, appreciation. I didn’t do a sticky note, I wrote on the mirror of the kids bathroom with a Expo marker. I’ll keep spreading the kindness.
So excited for this and to focus on loving others.
Love this! Mine will be sticky notes without the treat for now. Actually if I put it in the lunch i make my Husband then I suppose the entire lunch is the treat, even if I do make his lunch regularly everyday. Ah, The note itself becomes the treatment!!
This will be fun to do the next few days leading up to Christmas!
Love this idea! Look forward to spreading kindness!
Love this idea so much!!! Thank you for doing this.
Great idea!! Love these easy straightforward ideas for scattering kindness!!! I am out of town so will do mine via text but will use this when I am home!!!!
Loving your Hoodwinked series with my mom’s group at church and this is a great extension! Sharing with all of them and planning my notes for tomorrow.