Donate a Toy to Toys for Tots: Advent Calendar Day 21

Giving Back, Gratitude  //  21st December 2012

Happy Holidays! Only four days left until Christmas! If you haven’t checked out our AMAZING Life Holiday Advent Calendar yet be sure to do so today!

Some of my most vivid memories from childhood was going to bed on Christmas Eve and not being able to sleep all night.  Fortunately Santa never checked to make sure I wasn’t awake.  Although I wouldn’t have minded as long as he shared some of his milk and cookies with me! :)

At about 5am on Christmas morning, I would wake up and sneak over to my brother’s room.  There we would eagerly wait until 6am when we could finally wake up our parents to go open the gifts that were wrapped nicely under the tree.  There would be presents from Santa, Rudolph, the elves, Mrs. Claus, you name it … Apparently everyone at the North Pole liked giving us gifts! We would start with the stockings stuffed to the top with Candy and toys.  Of course my mom would always be sure to sneak in a new toothbrush so we wouldn’t rot our teeth with all the Peanut Butter Smidgens Santa left us.

Although Santa would give some cool presents, the best were always the ones from our parents and family.  It’s heartbreaking to think that some children may not have the same experience of joy and happiness on Christmas Morning that stands out so vividly to me over 20 years later.

Fortunately there are many AMAZING organizations that collect toys and gifts for families in need. One of our favorites is Toys for Tots. On Day 21 of Advent we encourage you to donate to Toys for Tots. 

There is still time to donate a toy to Toys for Tots.  Go to www.toysfortots.org, select donate a toy, select your state, and then your local area.  You will then be given a list of locations that are collecting toys.  Since Christmas is quickly approaching (where did December go?), many places have stopped collecting gifts, but there are still a few that will collect donations up until Christmas Day.  If you can’t find a location that is still collecting, you can still make a monetary donation to Toys for Tots that will help purchase gifts for those in need.  Help bring a smile and a lasting memory to a child’s face this year by donating to Toys for Tots!

Thanks to the AMAZING staff at the North Hammonds Ferry Rd Fed Ex!  Everyone was so excited and grateful when we showed up to drop off our toys! 

Light a Candle in Remembrance of Someone you Love – Advent Day 17

Gratitude  //  17th December 2012

This morning we started our day off by lighting a candle. We turned the tv off, turned the lights off, and lit a candle. We light candles often, but this one was different. I expected us to just light the candle and say a prayer and then go about our day. However, it became a rather emotional experience as we took some time to reflect, pray, and remember. On this 17^th day of the AMAZING Holiday Advent Calendar, we hope you will join us in lighting a candle in remembrance of someone you love.As we stood next to the candle with only candlelight in the room, all of a sudden our to do list escaped from our minds. The pile of laundry that we were folding and piled high on the ottoman was no longer visible… it was just Ryan and I, the candle, and God. We stood in silence for a few moments and tears just rolled down my face. They were tears of sadness and grief… but also gratitude and joy. We remembered those people in our lives who have passed (most especially PopPop and Nikki- a teammate of mine who had passed away when I was in middle school) and realized with joy how much they have truly shaped our lives. We prayed for those families who have lost someone unexpectedly during Hurricane Sandy and the Newtown School shooting last week. It takes us back to the days of Flight 800 in 1996, when 21 students and staff from our high school passed away on their way to a school field trip to France. We remember those images of people gathered and just holding onto one another. Sometimes there are no answers, just a reminder that life is incredibly precious and taking moments to come together and love is everything that we should have on our to do list!

This weekend, the candle on the advent wreath symbolizes joy. Through sadness and grief, sometimes it is hard to recognize joy. However, through reflection and remembrances of those you love, joy is certainly going to shine through! Today as you light a candle, turn the rest of the lights off and take some time in silence to recognize that joy that those who have gone before you have brought to your life and know that their joy is shining down on you every second of every day!

Collect Change to donate to a Salvation Army kettle – Advent Day 7

Giving Back, Gratitude  //  7th December 2012

How many times during the holiday season have we been in a rush to get in and out of a store?  In a rush to buy that one last gift so we can check the last person off our list. How many times have we just brushed past the volunteer standing by the red kettle ringing a bell without hesitation?  Have we ever even taken a moment to ask why they are ringing their bells?

From the Salvation Army:

“Donations provide Christmas dinners, clothing, and toys for families in need. Financial assistance also helps with basic necessities, along with seasonal aid. Families of prisoners often are included.

Volunteers distribute gifts to shut-ins in hospitals and nursing homes, and shelters are open for sit-down dinners. The Salvation Army endeavors to bring spiritual light and love to those it serves at Christmas so that the real meaning of the season is not forgotten.”

Today for Day 7 of our AMAZING Life Holiday Advent Calendar we will be collecting change from our couch to donate to a Salvation Army Kettle.  Everyone probably has $2 or $3 in loose change lying around, between the cushions, on a dresser, or in a loose change jar! (At least we are hoping we are not the only ones with change all over our house!)

Today we will be collecting all of the loose change we can possibly find and then we are going to head out, not to buy one more holiday gift, but to find the nearest bell ringer with a red kettle to donate our change.

If you really are super organized and you can’t find any loose change, but still want to donate, we have created an online Red Kettle Campaign.  You can view and donate to our campaign here or better yet, start your own. Our goal is to reach $250 before Christmas! Please help us!!

The next time you head out to the store… before you leave, collect your loose change and be sure to deposit it into a red kettle! Once you actually have gone through all of your loose change, be sure to go out of your way and thank the volunteer who is ringing that bell! It’s all about making people smile this holiday season… and you can do it to!

 

Write a letter to Santa – Advent Calendar Day 6

Giving Back, Gratitude  //  6th December 2012

What is your Christmas Wish this year?! What a fun question to think about, right? For some it may be a toy, a computer, or a new pair of shoes… and for others it may be as “simple” as a new home like one of Susan’s wishes in Miracle on 34^th Street. I tend to think that Santa can handle anything AND it never hurts to ask! So, for Day 6 of the Amazing Holiday Advent Calendar, we are encouraging you to write a letter to Santa!

As we prepared for our visit with Santa, we discussed what we would say when he asked us that question, “What is your Christmas Wish this year?!” A few “simple” ideas came to mind… nothing that seemed too much to ask from such a magical person! ;) We simplified our list to this:

• An AMAZING life for EVERYONE that they live out everyday!
• Health and Happiness
• World Peace.

I mean, if Santa can bring Susan a Dad, a new home, AND a baby brother… I think he can handle the above too! ;) As we were walking through Macy’s during our visit with Santa, we came across a letter writing station where we could write a letter to Santa and they would make sure that he receives it! AWESOME! So, I had myself a little seat at the desk and wrote my letter! I was sure to offer any help that we could just in case we really were asking for too much! ;)

The very best thing about writing our letter to Santa and mailing it at Macy’s is that they will donate $1.00 for every letter that they receive to the Make A Wish Foundation!!! SO so so great!!! The next time you are at the mall (or what the heck- make a special trip!!!) go to Macy’s and mail your very own letter to Santa… or two or three! You will be making a difference in an AMAZING child’s live!

Don’t hold back on those wishes… we are believers and even if they don’t come true this year, we know the elves will be working hard to make them come true in the very near future!

 

Send a Holiday Greeting to a Soldier – Advent Calendar Day 3

Gratitude, Saying Thanks  //  3rd December 2012

There are a lot of things that we often “think” about doing during the holidays that would be “nice” things to do, but we get too caught up in other things that we don’t end up doing them! This year we have decided to change that and actually make the things that matter happen! We hope our Amazing Holiday Advent Calendar will help you do the same! Today, Day 3 of Advent, we are sending Holiday greetings to soldiers!

While we were writing out our Christmas Cards this year, I came across a note from a friend who mentioned that soldiers who are serving our country might enjoy a holiday card too! What an AMAZING reminder! So, we Googled how to send a Holiday Card to a soldier and actually was totally surprised to find out that it is a bit more complicated than I would have hoped. (Sadly you can’t just send a card directly to the Walter Reed Hospital and expect that it gets into the hands of a soldier.) However, we did find that the Red Cross has a Holiday Mail for Heroes Initiative where they will take your cards and make sure they end up in the hands of those with whom you intended!

Of course we were excited to find this program and we couldn’t wait to get a few in the mail. But then, we found this video that actually showed the Red Cross delivering a few cards in 2010…

Whoa! With tears running down my face our passion and drive to let these men and women know how much we appreciate them multiplied x 1 million! I was originally worried about what I was going to say- and then I realized that we have the power to bring a smile to someone’s face or bring encouragement when things are hard! It is as simple as just speaking from our hearts and letting them know just how grateful we are for them! Without their service we likely wouldn’t have the freedom that we do to live out our dreams everyday!

We hope you join us today in sending a smile to a soldier and letting them know how much we appreciate them! Don’t delay and push this off to another day… all cards must be delivered to the Red Cross by December 7^th! (That is this Friday!!) More details can be found on this website (they have a few rules to follow to make sure they can actually be delivered… no glitter, etc.!)

Also! Just in case you don’t have any stamps today, Savannah’s Soldiers (a non-profit organization started by an 11 year old!!! YES 11!!) will take a message that you email through their contact form and they will send it off to a special serviceman. So AMAZING!

No excuses! Make the things that matter happen! ;)… start by sending a letter to a soldier! ;)