You can feel the crisp chill in the air here on the East Coast of Canada. As I put on my mittens, you can almost hear the jingle bells in the distance. Honestly, it makes me a little bit giddy inside. I truly feel the magic every single year.

Every year, I vow to get organized early. Typically one of the first items on my agenda is to get our advent calendars ready. The tradition in our family is to select a wrapped holiday book every evening as well as a Lego advent calendar for each child in the mornings. However, this year my kids are now seven and five. It’s a great age to begin some Random Acts of Kindness. This Holiday List works the same way as a typical countdown to Christmas where my children will select a note each day.

The Trim Your Stocking Thinlits Dies (144682) is a perfect product to hold the twenty-four pieces of rolled-up paper containing the Random Act of Kindness.

To begin this project, I cut out 25 stockings using the Merry Little Christmas Designer Series Paper (144621) and the Merry Little Christmas 12″ x 12″ Cardstock Pack (144622). Carefully I pieced each holiday stocking together and placed a number made out of Real Red Cardstock (102482) and the Large Numbers Framelits Dies (140622). Finally, I attached each stocking with Real Red 1/8″ Solid Ribbon (144631) and hung it on a large decorative frame using the Jute Twine (144625). If you don’t have a large frame, you could quite easily use a three-foot Christmas tree to hang these stockings.

The Trim Your Stocking Thinlits Dies also come with a pillow box-shaped die, which fits a gift card perfectly. It allowed me to have a pocket on each holiday stocking where I could place a rolled-up Random Act of Kindness. Since my children are young, I selected Random Acts of Kindness that did not take a great deal of time and would not be a financial burden. While I researched online for some ideas, it was easy to select 24 acts. I encourage you to tailor your own family’s Random Acts of Kindness list to what best works for you.

Here’s the Caines Family Holiday Random Acts of Kindness List:

1. Send a card to a stranger, such as an overseas service member.
2. Donate new toys to the Happy Tree.
3. “Sock” a friend by putting a treat in a holiday stocking on someone’s doorknob with a special note.
4. Make five sticky note messages and place them on a mirror or door. A drawing or a note like “You are beautiful” would be perfect.
5. Bring a joke to school to read to your class.
6. Donate food to the food bank.
7. Help Nanny put away the dirty dishes.
8. Draw a picture for your teacher and give it to her along with a treat.
9. Shovel for a neighbor or clear off their cars before they wake up.
10. Donate 10 books you no longer need.
11. Help clean the neighborhood on a walk. Be sure to wear your gloves and bring a garbage bag.
12. Go through old towels and blankets to donate to the animal shelter.
13. Drop by a senior’s home and bring a poinsettia. Be sure to say hello!
14. Donate some cards to Ronald McDonald House.
15. Write a list of five things you are thankful for
16. Pay for someone’s coffee.
17. Donate some money to a charity.
18. Leave candy canes on someone’s windshield.
19. Put a treat in the mailbox for the mail carrier.
20. Call both your grandmas just to say hello.
21. Bring coloring books to the doctor’s waiting room and the gymnastics viewing room.
22. Decorate rocks using paint and place them around the neighborhood for strangers to find (“kindness rocks”).
23. Be a helper by picking up 10 things off the floor each day.
24. Give five people a compliment. Or more!
25. Merry Christmas!

I am so excited to share these adventures with my children and I truly believe that these little gestures will make a big difference in our small community.

I’m wishing you all the best in your holiday preparations!

Cathy Caines
2017 Artisan Design Team