Day 3 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (with Rad Joy)

Join us for the 12th Annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways at karenehman.com.

*Give Away has Ended*

It’s Day 3 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways! If you’re just joining in, be sure to start at Day 1 here.

Well, I donโ€™t have three French hens for you today but I do have day three of my 12th annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!ย 

Before we get to our guest and her giveaway, my friend Jackie Drew from Rad Joy, a a family company that is all about spiritual growth, here is the idea for the day.

Day 3: Surprises that Soothe the Soul

The holidays arenโ€™t always the most joyful for those who are grieving. This may be due to a death in the family. However, death isnโ€™t the only reason people may be experiencing grief. They may have recently divorced and are facing their first holiday season as a single parent. Or, they may have just become empty nesters and their children are all living in different states or countries and they will be all alone on Christmas morning this year.

One year, about a decade ago, a friend of ours was facing his first Christmas as a single dad raising nearly half a dozen children. He was the victim of an unwanted divorce and as the holidays loomed, so did the sadness in his family. One afternoon, he called me from a department store to see if my husband and I could meet him there to help him pick out decorations for his house since he didnโ€™t get any in the divorce. It was such a sorrowful scene watching him try his best to make a happy holiday season for his kids. It was then that God gave me a brilliant idea.

I called eleven other families and together we pulled a โ€œ12 Days of Christmas Surprisesโ€ for this dad and his kids. It all began on December 13th so the final day would be Christmas Eve.

I kicked things off by being day one. I took a large market basket I found at a secondhand store and filled it with goodies. In it was an inexpensive gift for each of the kids wrapped in cheery Christmas wrap. I included a homemade chicken pot pie, a large bag of salad, and some chocolate chip cookies for their supper that night. I also tucked in a gift card to a local movie theater so they could all go out as a family together. 

I attached a card telling them that they were going to be the recipients of 12 days of Christmas surprises. After they removed the goodies from the basket, they were to place it back out on their front porch. Each morning it would be filled with more goodies right up until Christmas Eve. Oh, and one more thing. They were never going to be told just who the elves were pulling off this holiday happiness.

Each morning in the cover of dark, a new person would fill the basket with goodies. Sometimes there were homemade meals. Other times the basket held a gift certificate to a local restaurant. There were simple gifts for the kids to unwrap or maybe a video or board game for the whole family to enjoy.  And always there was an anonymous encouraging note letting them know how very much they were loved.

My friend suspected that Todd and I were behind the dozen days of love, but we never admitted to it. He told us how his childrenโ€™s spirits went from severe sadness to joyful anticipation during those 12 days. It made what could have been a season of sorrow one of excitement instead.

Is there someone you know who is grieving this year? Try pulling off your own 12 days of surprises. If that seems like too daunting of a task, just leave an anonymous basket of love on their porch one morning during December. It will not only make their season, it will make yours as well.

Day 3 Giveaway

Jackie Drew (and her husband Rick) from Rad Joy are giving away a Rad Box to help you organize your daily prayer and Bible study supplies. (Supplies not included).

Giveaway rules are listed below. Enjoy!

Rick and Jackie Drew, Rad Joy \\ Day 3 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways at karenehman.com.

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Rick and Jackie Drew, Rad Joy

Rick and Jackie Drew founded Rad Joy to create beautiful and purpose-filled Christian products that help others radically deepen their faith as they joyfully walk with the Lord. Through their growing, excelling, falling down, getting up, trusting, clinging to Jesus, and surrendering, they are learning to experience Radical Joy! Connect with them on their blog and on Instagram.

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12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Rules

  1. U.S. Addresses only please.
  2. You can comment on all 12 days (once per person) up until midnight Pacific time, Sunday, December 22. Each day will be linked below for easy reference.
  3. One daily winner will be chosen from each dayโ€™s comments.
  4. To enter to win the Grand Prize, (worth over $150 and includes a $75 Amazon gift card, and two admission tickets (with meet-and-greet) to a concert with award-winning country music artist, Granger Smith, comment on, and share, all 12 posts. You can use the share buttons below or repost and share on Instagram (my fave!) and tag me @karenehman.
  5. All winners (including Grand Prize) will be announced here on the blog on Monday, December 23, and contacted via email. Please allow 4-6 weeks to receive your prizes. 
  6. If youโ€™re not already subscribed, click HERE and youโ€™ll receive an email notification each day of our series, plus my Bless Don’t Stress devotional.

Day 3 Giveaway Question

Is there someone you know who is grieving this year? Leave their initials here so we can pray for them. Make sure to brainstorm what you might do to make their holidays brighter.

To be entered to win Jackieโ€™s giveaway, answer in the comments section. And remember, if you want to enter to win the grand prize, you must comment on and share all twelve days.

Affiliate links may be included. We only recommend products we know our readers will love!

Day 1 with Candace Cameron Bure

Day 2 with Alena Pitts

Day 4 with Courtney Joseph

Day 5 with Trillia Newbell

Day 6 with Ruth Chou Simons

Day 7 with Phylicia Masonheimer

Day 8 with Jada Edwards

Day 9 with Ruth Schwenk

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501 Comments

  1. My friend just had a miscarriage. I have been praying nonstop for JA. Please join me in prayer for their peace and comfort

  2. We recently lost my great uncle and the holidays are hard especially for his daughter CM. I plan on wearing a silly hat to Christmas in his honor and to make her smile.

  3. What a great gift to give someone, to be intentional about doing something like this doesn’t come natural to most of us, including me, but my prayer is that I will be more intentional to be present in others lives throughout this new year. Please pray for EM who lost her husband of 70 years this year.

  4. JH, JP, PA

    I can pray for them and call them, just to listen. Also, we send Christmas cards with our family pictures and they always say how it makes them happy. My kids also enjoy visiting and cheering up!

  5. Amber is my friend who lost her husband in a semi accident a year ago last May. She has two beautiful daughters, and is doing a great job raising them, but is still struggling. Thank you for your prayers!

  6. Please pray for JM โ€ฆโ€ฆthatโ€™s me. โ€ฆIโ€™m still grieving over the loss of my brother alth I know he is enjoying blissful eternity with the remainder of my family. This season is such an alone time without my any immediate family members.

  7. Our community group is having a rough year. 3 divorces and 1 getting officially separated to protect her children. L.A, C.B, B.A and B. O are all our friends grieving this holiday season. I have been trying to plan something so they feel loved money is tight but I think I can do something for them all.

  8. A dear friend from church just lost her brother, her initials are JM.
    Grief is never easy, but seems even harder during this time of year.

  9. N.C.
    The whole neighborhood got together and went over and cleaned up leaves and did some odd jobs around the house last week. She lost her husband to cancer.

  10. What a beautiful way to help someone. At this time of year we always think of helping others in our community at large and that is great. But I believe community begins at home. I have been trying to think of a way to help a couple of family members who are going through a troubling season of life and this is a perfect way to do so without them knowing it comes from us. After all we are to help in secret!

  11. I have 2 friends who need prayer. One is grieving a divorce. Her initials are JF.
    the other one is a friends husband who has cancer. His initials are BC.
    Thank you for the prayers.
    I was thinking of taking my friend who is grieving divorce to lunch or a movie or making a basket.
    My friend who’s husband has cancer, I was thinking of making them a goody basket.

  12. I lost my Dad in 2015 and I lost my Mom in May this year, this will be the first Christmas without her. My Brother and sister in law who lost theyโ€™re son in 2017. To make things brighter I will be spending time with them and baking holiday treats just for them.

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