Christmas To Do's
Be
the first to wish everyone you meet a Merry Christmas.
Go see
a small town Christmas parade.
Don't
count calories from December 15th through January 2nd.
Mend a
broken relationship with someone during the holidays.
Take a
basket of goodies to a notoriously grumpy neighbor.
Be nice
to sales personnel. They're often wearier than you are.
Don't
schedule yourself too tightly during the holidays.
Before making an appointment, ask yourself, "Can this
wait until after Christmas?"
Take a
holiday family photograph each year in the same spot,
such as by a favorite tree in your yard. In years to
come, you'll have a wonderful record of the growth of
your family, as well as of the tree.
Make
an effort to attend every Christmas party you're invited
to, even if you can only stay a few minutes.
Adopt
a needy family for the holidays. Let members of your
family buy a present for the person closest to their own
age.
Fill
your house with the holiday fragrance of cloves, orange
peel, and cinnamon sticks simmering on the kitchen
stove.
Don't
despair if you are short of cash. Be creative. Looking
back, you'll discover that the Christmases when you had
the least money were the ones that left you with the
best memories.
Let go
of a problem you can't solve. Enjoy the season.
Hang a
favorite Christmas ornament from your car's rearview
mirror.
Sprinkle confetti in your Christmas card envelopes.
Chill
a dark sheet of construction paper. Take it and a child
outside and rediscover the wonder of snowflakes.
Take a
basket of goodies to your local fire and police
stations.
Wear a
smile and a Santa hat when you walk through the mall.
If a
child gives you a homemade gift, convince him it's your
favorite gift of all.
Purchase a special Christmas sweater and wear it often.
Choose
a Christmas tree that's a little too big for the room.
Tie a
wreath with a big red bow to the grill of your car.
Organize a progressive dinner.
Try at
least one new Christmas recipe and one new decorating
idea.
Start
a Christmas-theme jigsaw puzzle on December 1st. Try to
have it finished by Christmas Eve.
Take a
shut-in a scrumptious Christmas dinner.
Rent a
Santa Claus suit. Slip it on during your lunch hour and
hand out candy canes to everyone in the office.
Take
your family to a live performance of The Nutcracker
Suite or a church choir rendition of Handel's Messiah.
Before
going to bed on Christmas Eve, read by candle light
about the birth of Jesus in Luke 2.
Personalize your Christmas cards with a short
handwritten note.
Tie
jingle bells on your kid's shoelaces.
When
you think you have enough lights on your tree, add two
more strands.
Give a
young member of your family the honor of placing the
star or angel on top of the tree.
Go
caroling.
Instead of the usual bedtime stories, read to your
children about the Christmas customs in other countries.
Buy
more Scotch tape, wrapping paper, and Christmas cards
than you think you'll need.
Deliver coffee cakes to your neighbors to enjoy on
Christmas morning.
Never
write the word Christmas as Xmas.
Enjoy
a couple of meals illuminated only by the Christmas
tree.
Before
going to bed every night of the Christmas season, ask
yourself, "Whose life did I make brighter today?"
Volunteer in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
Don't
give anyone a fruitcake.
Don't
give a child underwear.
Don't
give your spouse a kitchen scale.
Call a
nursing home and get the names of five people who don't
often receive mail. Send each one a Christmas card and
sign it "from Santa".
Tip
someone who doesn't expect it.
Wait
until Christmas morning to place Jesus in your Nativity
scene.
Remember that the best solution for holiday blues is to
do something special for someone else.
Tell
your children about Christmas when you were their age.
Wear
outrageous Christmas socks.
Drink
from a Christmas coffee mug.
Watch
It's a Wonderful Life.
Watch
Dicken's A Christmas Carol.
Watch
a Christmas cartoon.
Never
refuse a holiday dessert.
Offer
to run Christmas errands for an elderly friend or
relative.
Cut
off the fronts of attractive Christmas cards to use as
gift tags.
Record
a cheerful Christmas greeting on your answering machine.
Make
French toast with eggnog.
Attend
a Christmas Eve service with your family.
Make
snow angels.
Attend
a Christmas bazaar. Buy something whether you need it or
not.
Give
an anonymous gift of money to someone who has been laid
off.
Start
a special collection for each of your children, adding
an item each year.
Ask
for a gift box for each gift you buy.
Help
an elderly neighbor decorate his or her home.
Curl
up before the fire with someone you love.
Be
ready with a smile or a hug.
On
Christmas morning, phone some relatives who live far
away and wish them a Merry Christmas.
Help
your children bake Christmas breads or cookies to give
to teachers.
Display prominently the Christmas artwork your child
brings home forom school.
Videotape family members recalling their favorite
Christmas memories.
Listen
to the barking dogs sing "Jingle Bells". Once.
Put
something Christmassy in every room in your home.
Remember that Christmas carols never sound better than
when you sing them in church.
Don't
wait until 1:30 am Christmas morning to put together
"some assembly required" items.
Enjoy
Christmas music in your home, office, and car.
Fill a
basket with past Christmas photos. Put it in a prominent
spot.
Sing
or whistle "Winter Wonderland" in the shower.
Organize a neighborhood yard decorating contest with the
winner receiving a plate of goodies from the losers.
Create
a homemade sled from a large appliance box. Then look
for biggest hill you can find.
Sometime during the holidays, go through your closets
and box up clothing you haven't worn in two years. Give
away items that are still in good condition.
Record
names and addresses in your address book as your receive
Christmas cards--before your throw away the envelopes.
Allow
extra time to navigate through Christmas traffic.
Talk
with your children about the first Christmas.
Offer
refreshments to carolers.
Create
a special Christmas morning menu and serve it every
year.
Don't
wait for someone else to spread Christmas joy.
THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, GIVE FAMILY AND OTHERS THE GIFT
OF A SWEET DISPOSITION.
Help a
child make paper chains.
Tie a
bright bow on your pet's collar.
Give
your place in the checkout line to someone who looks
like they have had a hard day.
Try to
keep up with your fitness routine.
Wrap
your child's bedroom door like a present.
Compliment at least three people every day in December.
Let a
child decorate a small Christmas tree just the way he
likes it.
Let
the youngest and oldest family members pass out the
presents.
Start
a collection of Christmas cookie cutters.
Refuse
to let heavy traffic and long lines dampen your
Christmas spirit.
Fix
yourself a cup of hot cocoa and read "Stopping by Woods
on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost.
Never
give a gift that's not nicely wrapped.
Put
white lights on your house plants.
Make a
friend of an enemy this Christmas.
On a
clear night, find the bright North Star and recall the
story of the Wise Men.
Teach
children to look at the gift tag Before they open the
present so they will know whom to thank.
Be a
generous giver.
Be a
gracious receiver.
Make
it a holiday practice to do something nice for someone
without telling them you did it.
Be the
first to lob a snowball and start a battle.
Buy a
big red candle for the dining table and light it every
night during the holidays.
Attend
a children's Christmas pageant.
Never
give someone else's child a gift you would not want your
own child to receive.
Open
Christmas cards as a family activity each night at the
dinner table. Read the messages aloud.
Give
someone who's discouraged the gift of encouragement.
Make
your family feel just as important as your holiday
company.
Pay a
debt for someone.
Add a
new Christmas cassette or CD to your collection each
year.
Offer
to carry someone's packages.
Plan a
quiet evening with your family the week after Christmas.
Talk about your goals for the coming year.
Go ice
skating.
Dress
the kids for bed, then get in the car to see Christmas
lights.
If
you're feeling harried, go to a church, sit in the
sanctuary, and reflect on the real meaning of Christmas.
Introduce a shy person to others at the office Christmas
party.
Keep
plenty of apple cider and microwave popcorn on hand for
unexpected guests.
Don't
forget, no matter how many Christmas photos you take,
next year you'll wish you had taken more.
This
Christmas, write letters to several people who have had
a positive influence on your life. Thank them for the
gift they have given you.
Let
someone else have the parking space you've just found.
Think of it as a gift to a stranger.
Give
gifts with no strings attached.
Write
with a red or green pen.
Buy
something from students holding a Christmas bake sale
and tell them to keep the change.
Include your children in the preparation of holiday
meals.
This
season, cut others--as well as yourself--more slack than
usual.
Replace your shoelaces with a red one and green one.
If
your child gets a game for Christmas, play it with him
and let him win.
Stop
and help someone who's stuck in the snow.
Take a
walk with someone you love on Christmas afternoon.
Read
The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell to a child.
Remember that the loving holiday spirit in your home
depends more on the words you speak than on the gifts
you give.
Turn
off the lights and put on "White Christmas". Ask your
spouse to dance.
Secretly shovel off your neighbor's front walk.
Answer
your phone by saying "Merry Christmas".
Learn
the second verse to "Jingle Bells".
Have
an extra ice scraper to give to someone who might need
one.
Pay
the toll for the car behind you during the week of
Christmas.
Carry
jumper cables. If you don't need them, you're set to
help someone else.
Order
and pay for a pizza for a neighbor. Ask the delivery
person to tell them it's from Santa.
Ask
everyone at your celebration "the Christmas remember
most" or "the craziest gift I ever received".
When
you hear the song "Rocking' Around the Christmas Tree"
grab the family member nearest you and kick up your
heels.
Have a
Christmas party for your children and their friends.
Don't
let a rude person steal your Christmas joy.
Let
your children participate in decorating the house for
the holidays.
Write
"Joy to the World" with your finger on a frosty window.
Serve
cinnamon sticks with hot cider and peppermint sticks
with hot chocolate.
Ask
children "What are you giving for Christmas?" instead of
"What are you getting for Christmas?"
Get
out old games--Monopoly, Clue, etc--and have an ongoing
family tournament during December.
Discover the quiet satisfaction of anonymous giving.
Take
your camera to holiday parties.
Don't
try to do everything yourself. Remember, even Santa
needs helpers.
The
day you take down your decorations, ask family members
what they liked best and least about the holidays.
Decorate the backs of dining chairs with bows or
stockings.
If
your children are grown, offer to take someone else's
for a special activity.
Let
the youngest child in the family who's old enough read
the Christmas story on Christmas Eve. Record it, and
give it to them when they are grown.
Remember that peace on earth starts with peace in our
homes and in our hearts.
After
opening the presents, hug all your family members and
tell them they are the best gift of all.
For
Christmas prepare as many do-ahead dishes as you can.
Don't
forget to hang the mistletoe.
Don't
forget the batteries.
Don't
forget whose birthday we're celebrating.