This time of year can get busy and stressful quickly. Right? There’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday, teacher gifts, trees to decorate, cards to send, activities to plan, and holiday meals to prepare. Consumerism can be loud, and the need to “keep up” with it all can make it easy to forget why we are doing any of it in the first place! Sometimes instead of holy nights and a peace-filled heart, I feel more like this:
That’s why I LOVE this tradition we have adopted over the past several years. Our church has a worldwide campaign the month of December called Light the World.
What is Light the World?
Calendars provide prompts for daily acts of service. It can take as little as 2 minutes! Examples include: say hi to a neighbor, thank a wise man or woman in your life, donate food to a local shelter, learn about an ancestor.
Basically, it’s putting ‘Christ’ back in Christmas, one simple act at a time. For those who are not religious, it’s putting charity and neighborly love back into the holiday season.
I like that I don’t have to think of each service on my own- it takes the brain work out of my already-fried and sluggish Christmas mom brain.
This video gets me into the Christmas spirit every time! I love it so much.
Download the calendar here! I did not create any of these, they are originally found HERE! Just spreading the word 🙂
And if you skip a day or two or twenty? Totally fine — we certainly do! More guilt and items on the to-do list is the last thing we need. It’s just about trying to get back into a hopeful and outward-focused mindset to actually feel the joy that the season is meant to bring. It’s a point of inspiration and ideas, if nothing else.
Calendar for Kids:
There’s a separate calendar with daily ideas for children (and for those that use social media less). My kids genuinely love doing this and seeing what the prompt is each day. You can also include a coloring page with the download, if you choose to print. I do recommend a physical copy, especially with children- it’s much more tangible for them to visualize that way. But let’s be real, printers are the worst of the worst…reading out loud to them works great too ;).
Giving Machines in Downtown Kansas City!
As a bonus, Kansas City has been chosen as one of 10 locations in the world to host the Giving Machines! When you’re down at Crown Center this season (and, you absolutely should be!), be sure to stop by the large red “vending machines” over by the ice skating rink. You can choose something to donate to someone across the world!
“Imagine swiping your credit card at a vending machine—but instead of buying a candy bar for yourself, you’re buying a sheep for a family in a third-world country. Or a polio vaccine. Or a pair of shoes. Or 100 meals for your local food bank. With the #LightTheWorld Giving Machines, that’s exactly what happens. The Giving Machines provide a way for people to follow the example of Jesus to help those in need and make the Christmas season a little more meaningful for themselves and for countless others.”
Church of Jesus Christ website
Here’s the video explaining the Giving Machines:
Other Locations:
Aiea, HI
Denver, CO
Gilbert, AZ
Oakland, CA
Orem, UT
SLC, UT
Rockefeller Plaza, NYC
Nashville, TN
Las Vegas, NV
Full list of locations & addresses here.
I love the idea of one small light at a time making this world a much brighter place. Cheesy? Yes. But so very needed these days? I think so.
How do you & your family keep the spirit of giving during Christmastime? What are your favorite traditions? And a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS to anyone reading this! Lots of love to you & yours.
