Christmas Resolutions

If you have ever read this blog around the holidays you know that I sometimes - okay usually - have trouble mustering the holiday spirit. Some years I have put it all out there in an effort to create a hopefully contagious holiday spirit. Tinsel, candles, trees big and small, wreaths on every window, doormats, reindeer antlers, Christmas quilts, carols, carols, carols. Other years I have done next to nothing (always a tree, always) and just waited for the Christmas spirit to greet me.

This year I have chosen a different tack. On December 1, the same day we'll start the countdown on our Advent calendar and anticipate the arrival of General Jolly Apple Snowball (our "elf on the shelf"), I am going to start 25 days of random acts of kindness. That probably doesn't need much explanation, but humor me. My plan is to do something random and kind each day. I don't want it to revolve around money - for the most part anyone can hand a homeless person $5 - although I'm sure some days will.

To be truthful this is a selfish exercise. My hope is that these little acts will help me remember what's important - gratitude, kindness, hospitality, humanity, generosity - and by the end of December maybe I can reflect back on time well spent instead of lamenting my choice of holiday decorations.