Day 19

Ok so I am a very very busy bee. I do not even have tome to blog but I will update this as soon as I am free. Here is a quick peek at what I have planned:

Day 19: Letters of support to the CT victims. A friend of my cousin Jodi is trying to collect 700 letters to send to the school when the kids go back. Letters of support and love. I sent one today. I have no pic because I left my phone charger at Jason's house and my phone has no charge. I plan on sending more. She would like to receive the letters by the first week of January. If you would like to write them as well you can send the letters to: Sara Olsztyn
po box 725
mt pleasant mi 48804

Day 20: I have done home care for the last three years. I have grown close with some of my home bound patients over that time. My favorite is Mrs. Walker. I plan on going to her house after work to visit and bring her a little Christmas tree. I will blog about it if I have time tomorrow. 

Day 21: I have a 5 dollar gas gift card I will give to a lucky person at the pump

Day 22-25: I will be in the North Country. Updates will come on the 26th. No internet in good ol' Onaway MI!

Day 18: Ho Ho Ho

Shopping for my Adopted Family

Today I truly felt like Santa's little helper. I bought the gifts for the family in need to open on Christmas. They have seven children and through the generosity of others I was able to get them each two pretty awesome gifts to open on Christmas morning. I was moved to tears by the generosity I was shown. A true angel came to the aid of those in need. Children who otherwise had no Christmas now have a spectacular one. Shopping for the three little girls was easy and fun. The four boys was difficult considering I come from a family of all girls. I think we nailed it. Combined with all the stocking stuffers from Goodfellows they will have gifts a bounty to open! I am all weepy as I write this post. At work today all I could feel was stressed. I still had so much to do. So many presents to make and things to complete. I felt overwhelmed and not in the spirit in the least bit. I cursed my kindness project and my lack of sleep. Then I was reminded just why I am doing this today. My heart is filled with joy. I will be dropping the gifts off to their parents on Thursday. So between now and then it is time to wrap wrap wrap.

 Santa's little helper, Sarge.

Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.
Dale Evans

Day 17: Saying Thank You

A Letter to Mrs. Whitford

Everyone has a favorite teacher. Mine is and always will be my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Carolyn Running Crane Whitford. She was a wonderful positive teacher who I will never forget. I want to tell her that she made a positive impact on my life because Christmas is a time to share with others. I want to thank her. Trouble is I do not know where to find her. I attended school at Roy Elementary in Washington state eighteen years ago. So I set on a journey to try and find her. She was no longer a teacher at the school I attended according to the secretary I called. Mrs. Whitford just so happened to be part of the Blackfeet tribe. I thought this could help narrow my search. After several hours of combing the world wide web I managed to find several promising email and postal addresses. One of which I believe is her husbands and what I believe to be her tribe's council email. Such a little private eye was I! So I typed up a heart felt letter and sent it out to several locations. I hope she is able to read this letter. I hope my detective work payed off. Here is what I wrote: 

Hello! My name is Haylee Chowen. I am looking to connect with my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Carolyn Running Crane Whitford. I was a student of hers in 1995 I would like to get a letter of thanks to her. If you have a means of contact for Mrs. Whitford please feel free to email me back. If you are able to pass her along this letter please do so. I think it is important that during these times we thank those who have met something to us. I wanted to take the time to share with Mrs. Whitford that I will never forget her. Thanks for any and all possible help. Happiest of holidays to you and yours, Haylee.

Dear Mrs. Whitford,

                My name is Haylee Chowen. I am not sure if you remember me. I was a student in your 4^th grade class of 1995, at Roy Elementary school. This Christmas I am working on a project. I am attempting to think of others every day for the 25 days of Christmas. I feel we often lose sight of what is truly important and it has been my goal to regain the true spirit this year. Today is day 17. Before I began this project I thought it would be nice to write personal cards to the people who have a positive impact on my life. When I had this thought, you popped into my head right away. Whenever anyone talks about favorite teachers I have always thought of you. So I never got out all those cards. I became very busy with my 25 day adventure. I still wanted to say thank you to you. So today I will. I can still remember your warmth and patience. I was always writing petitions and protecting the underdog at that age (still am). I practically made a formal filibuster in student council to get you to also take the student representatives to the Blackfeet Reservation along with the class officers.  You always supported me, sternly but gently. You corrected me when I would become to over the top. You never made me feel that my thoughts and convictions were stupid. You never made me feel less because I was a child. I was able to go on that trip to the reservation, by the way. You incorporated your culture into your teaching which was stimulating and captivating. You made it fun to learn, in many ways. I will always look back at that time, in the portable, in your class with fondness. I can remember at the end of the school year we had a sleepover in our class room. I can remember feeling like you were my friend. I know now that you genuinely cared for your students. I know that this impact you had on me was the same for many children before and after me. I felt true love from you as my teacher. Though this was almost 18 years ago I will always remember you. Thank you for making school great. Thank you for caring. I will always carry a piece of the little girl I was in your classroom.  I am not sure if this letter will even reach you. I can only hope. Please feel free to email me back at hayleechowen@yahoo.com or you can check out my blog at http://hayleeschristmas.blogspot.com/. I would love to hear from you.  I hope that you have the happiest of holidays.

With Thanks,

Haylee Chowen

In the end all I can do is wait. At least I put it out there into the universe. 

Carolyn Whitford (photography by Ben Marra)

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
-- Albert Einstein 

Day 14,15,16--Weekend Madness

Day #14 Friday

So today I had trouble. I was busy. I had work and errands and family visiting. I told my mom that I would go help her prepare bulbke for our early family Christmas on Sunday. Bulbke are a meat filled bread roll. It has been a traditional part of Christmas dinner my whole life. We have a large family and they all love them equally as much so we have to make a lot! I also told my sister that I would go out for a night on the town with her. I haven't been going out very often so I was ready to spend some quality time with the sis. I will be honest, I did not plan anything for today. I was hoping something would present itself. It did not. I dropped a few bucks into the salvation army buckets while I was running errands. However, I have done this my whole life. I watched my parents do it since I can remember. I don't feel that counts as going outside myself. My mom said that I could use making the bulbke as my act of kindness. I thought that was a cop-out because I have made them with her several years past and I would do that regardless. I honestly was busy and didn't have time to fit anything special in. It was nice spending time with my family. This is the season for sharing time with those I love. I think that maybe I looked at today with too much criticism. Maybe I didn't do anything but I shared the love. I kept a tradition with my mom. We laughed and rolled and stuffed. Christmas tunes playing in the background. Though I was tired and could have easily worked on Christmas presents (my immediate family and I are doing homemade this year) I headed out. It was Friday night and my sister  and I had a rip roaring good time. We too shared many laughs. These are the moments of importance. Taking time as such is an easy way to incorporate the spirit year round. So maybe I didn't have as much trouble as I thought.

Bulbke Yummmmm

Me and Mol

Having somewhere to go is what we call HOME. Having someone to love, who loves us in return, is what we call FAMILY. Having both: BLESSING.

 Kemmy Nola

Day 15: Saturday

Today was another busy day. I had intentions of getting my day started no later than 10:00 am. I had Christmas Shopping to do and I was going to devote my time to starting my homemade gifts. My family and I are going up North for Christmas. We decided to have Christmas simplified. Homemade gifts and all. Like Little House on the Prairie. Well my day did not get started until four in the afternoon. That is the price I pay for a fun filled night with my sister. I did manage to come up with a random act of kindness though. Simple but sweet. I filled plastic bags with two dollars in quarters and taped them to a couple gumball/toy machines around town. A little surprise for some lucky child. I have been known to frequent a gumball machine so who knows maybe a lucky adult. It was fun and simple. I am telling you there is a bit of an adrenaline rush doing all these sneaky deeds.

“Even in the familiar there can be surprise and wonder.”
― Tierney Gearon

Day 15: Sunday

My family usually celebrate Christmas Eve in a big way. This year we had a Christmas celebration earlier than usual. It was as warm and fun-filled as it has always been. I had been planning to try and work in a soup kitchen but I am having trouble finding one that is still accepting volunteers. So I decided that if I couldn't serve food I would collect it. I sent out and email to my entire extended family asking them to please bring non-perishables to our Christmas party. Combining the cans I bought and the ones people brought I had quite a few cans. I tried to drop the cans off after our party at the Gleaners Community Food Bank Taylor distribution center but it was closed. The family time was to much fun to pull away before the bank closed. They will be dropped off very soon though.

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.
Mother Teresa

Day 13: SHED A LITTLE LIGHT

A Little Surprise for the Wayne County Lightfest Teller

As a lover of all things Christmas, though I had already driven through the festival of lights once this year, I felt I needed to do it again. For five bucks, a twenty minute drive through a fancy light display is well worth it. I thought, the first time I went through, what a crummy job to be the person in the ticket booth. Cold, redundant, busy, and boring. Why not treat this random worker to a hot cocoa and a candy cane. This had been my plan all day. Then I worked an almost 11 hour day. The day was not bad but when I was done I was tired. I had errands to run and unforeseen complications really made my pace slow. I was going to enjoy the Lightfest with my girlfriend, Sarah and when I got to her house and sat on her couch I did not want to move. I wanted no obligation but to relax in front of the tube for a few hours. I knew I had to go. Not only were Sarah and I supposed to see the lights on her birthday but I wanted to complete my act. So off we went at a turtles pace. When we delivered the cocoa and the man in the booth was hard to read. He was definitely surprised and did not expect it. We handed it off, smiled, and said Merry Christmas. He seemed a little stunned. He smiled said thanks and we were on our way. The whole thing happened in like 1 minute. I wasn't expecting anything profound. I hope he enjoyed it. I hope he drank it and didn't think we poisoned it.  In the end Sarah and I decided that no matter what he thought at least he thought about it. It was a random act and I hope if at the very least, it changed the pace in his repetitive evening. The lights were beautiful as always. Best five bucks I have spent all month.

Sarah and I 

 Chocolate-Candy Combo

 Jack Frost

 Santa's Sled (Awesome)

I recently was given a hard time when using the greeting above and a dear old friend of mine posted a great article about the Happy Holiday taboo. It is definitely worth a read. Click HERE to read it, loves.

“Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes - goodwill among men and peace on earth.” --Albert Einstein

Day 12: Sweating for the Children

Toys for Tots Boot Camp

My cousin Cory just began a job as a personal trainer a few months ago. He works at the Any Time Fitness in Farmington Hills. He informed me that he would be doing a Toys for Tots drive. In exchange for bringing a toy we could take his boot camp class. So I signed up. I bought some model cars to donate and headed with my sister Mollee to the boot camp. We left my house during rush hour, so the fifteen minute drive took us forty five! We were late for the class so we rushed in and got started. I hate being late and I almost never am....almost. The turn out was great. There were some familiar faces, like our newly engaged friends Tara and Willman. There were also new clients I had never seen before. It was circuit type workout. We moved from station to station every minute. Boy oh boy am I out of shape! I cheated some I will confess but only a tiny bit. I will definitely want to take his boot camps in the future. Turns out you can sign up for boot camps without becoming a member. He needs to whip me into shape and I know he can do it. I felt the burn. Nothing about me wanted to rush home from the office to go work out at all, but it was for a good cause. I supported another child this Christmas and I supported my cousins new career path. I was very proud of how far he has come. He seemed to be totally in his element. He seemed passionate about what he was teaching us. I am very convinced he knows what he is doing. He really shined today. Such a man he has become. It was very nice to see. It made my insides smile! Day 12 was short and sweet but alas complete. I have sweet rhymes, I know. I am filled with silly energy right now! I guess doing good for myself and others has that effect on ya. A double whammy.

  So official with his picture on the wall and everything!

 

Talking to the group after we finished.

 Slinging Shakes

The toys donate! Not bad Cor!

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

-Confucius

Day 11: Child's Play

Taking Some Cool Kids to Bell Ring

I have had not one, but two great experiences ringing the bell. My girlfriend, Mandie had expressed that she wanted to take her nephew, Caleb to ring the bell. I thought, what an awesome idea! Teaching some little ones how to pay it forward. The first buddy that popped into my head was Jason's nephew, Alex. Alex is nine and Caleb is seven (they are both also victims of the St. Nick caper). These ages are perfect because they are still kids, they still believe! I picked up a bundled Alex after work and we headed to meet our bell ringing partners. Alex told me all about St. Nick and the candy in his shoes on our drive. I did not prompt him at all. We were talking Santa and he brought it up. He practically recited the entire letter to me. My insides were freaking out! Joy! We decided to pick up a pizza. A bell ring must be well nourished, you know. After pizza and a little homework/coloring we headed to the local KMART to get to ringing. Let me tell you the weather was not as pleasant as it had been my first time. The entrance of the KMART where we stood was like a wind vortex. I can honestly say that this is the first time this winter I have been truly cold. It was a windy 29 degrees. We were prepared with scarves, hats (mine was in the fashion of Santa, of course), gloves and plenty of layers. I can't imagine how much you would have to bundle if it was a real Michigan winter. Bravo to those before me. We hit a snag when we arrived. THERE WAS ONLY ONE BELL! Away into KMART I flew like a flash. The only bells I could find were attached to a wreath hanger. This would have to do. They made a nice jingle, Like Santa!, said Alex! The boys said Happy Holidays to every single person who came in and out. Nice and loud, with no fear like only a child could do. People were pretty generous, how could you not be? Every once in a while Caleb would shout after them, And a Happy New Year! Adorable. Warms the cockles, of my heart that is. About halfway through when the enthusiasm was starting to wear off the most wonderful Jane showed up with hot cocoa! Just in time. Alex was particularly impressed that it was home made. What a lovely act of kindness from a lovely person. I was so proud of the two of them. I noticed how much Alex has grown up since I met him at the sweet age of four. He braved the cold taking very few breaks. He didn't complain. He worked hard and smiled a lot. Caleb was great too, but seeing the little gentleman that Alex is growing into was very rewarding for me. Mandie and I really tried to emphasize who, what, when, where, why, and how they were helping people. I hope they felt proud of what they did today. I hope it sticks with them. I love the energy I get from being around children. A very good day today, yes indeed. :)

Meet Caleb and Alex

 

 Our make shift bell. Make it work!

 The wind tunnel...BRRRRRRR

The good Samaritans

 

 

 

 Bundled Buddies

“Kids don't remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.”
― Jim Henson

FOOD For Thought: DAY 8, 9, 10

DAY 8: Packing Food Boxes

Saturday, December 8th, 2012

       So after my lovely experience with the Redford Goodfellows, it was brought to my attention that they still needed help. 272 families will be receiving donations of Christmas gifts and food this year. On Saturday they were going to finish packing the toys and pack all the food boxes. The families would pick up their packages on Sunday. There was a lot to do and very little time to do it. So once again, I dragged my butt out of bed (after being up far to late and having one or two cocktails too many on Friday night) bright and early on Saturday morning. My friend Jane joined as well. This time their were many more volunteers at the abandon school. We dove right in when we got there. We began unloading food donations from vehicles and sorting them by food type. Unfortunately, donations were lacking this year and there was not very much food to sort. Cathy the director of the Goodfellows told me that donations had been decreasing steadily over the past few years but this years was an all time low. I felt so compelled to do something to get more food in here. Short of going door to door, I could not think of anything. There was just no time. If I would have known I could have done something more. Alas, we began to fill each families boxes. We could at least give them one vegetable, one can of spaghetti, on box of noodles, one box of stuffing, one box of brownie mix, one can of cranberries and one certificate to get a turkey from participating a Kroger. At least these families could have a Christmas dinner. Many people helped and we got the boxes filled in no time. When we left the school last Thursday there were still toy orders to be filled. Jane and I headed to the room where they were sorting toys, to see if they could use some help.
       I was right about opportunities presenting themselves. A friend heard about what I was doing and told me about a family that was in need. This family has been forced to move and after scrambling to find a new home, they have no money for Christmas this year. They have six children. Times have often been challenging for this family but this situation put them over the edge. After I heard this I asked the coordinator of the Goodfellows toy drive if she had any advice about how I could get them help. She gave me some numbers to call and it turns out Toys for Tots, Goodfellows and Salvation Army had closed there assistance application programs for the year. After I heard this I decided to adopt the family and do what I could to help the children have a Christmas this year. When I went back to the Goodfellows, I told the coordinator what I was planning to do. After filling the rest of the toy orders she let me fill a bag of toys to give to my adopted family. All of the toys were small stocking stuffer type toys but it was better than nothing! Myself, along with a few donors who wish to remain anonymous are going to help me get the children at least one large gift to open and food for Christmas dinner. This is all a work in progress and I will keep you all updated on how it goes. 

Food sorting and packing. Not a ton of food for almost 300 families :(

 Baskets for the Seniors

Bags and Boxes for the families. 4 rooms were filled like this. 

Bonus Pic: Jane made the paper!!! She was featured in the Redford Observer for her service!

There are an infinite number of reasons to say no. Instead, try to focus on one good reason to say yes.

Jarod Kintz 

Day 9: Pay It Forward

Sunday December 9th, 2012

Today I kept it simple. My boyfriend, Jason and I are lovers of Tim Horton's coffee and bagels on Sunday mornings. We decided to pay for the person in line behind us today. No matter if it was a single coffee or an order for the whole office. Whatever the total came to was what we were going to pay.  

I wrote up a little note for the cashier to give the person behind us with their order. Just wishing them a Merry Christmas and asking them to "pay it forward." Even if he didn't purchase the person behind himself their meal, I hope he was able to spread the love in someway. I don't know who this man is and never will but I hope it made his day. I know I got an adrenaline rush from it. I think Jason did too. The total only came out to five dollars by the way. Not a bad way to spend five bucks.

“Together we can change the world, one good deed at a time.”

 ~Pay it Forward Slogan

Day 10: Showing Appreciation

Monday, December 10th, 2012

My parents have now lived in downtown Plymouth for almost 10 years. I honestly can not believe it has been that long. Almost as much as I can not believe it has been almost 10 years since I graduated from high school. Yeesh. Living in Plymouth is wonderful especially during this time of year. The lights on all the businesses and houses make it especially magical.  There is one house whose lights I just love. On the corner of Ann Arbor Trail and Evergreen is a lovely large brick house. They decorate their whole house spectacularly. I have enjoyed the effort that these home owners put into their display every single year. This year has been no different. I decided that I would let them know just how much I appreciate their lovely home. I bought a yummy box of chocolates and wrapped them up. I attached a note just telling them that I have loved their lights all these years and wishing them a Merry Christmas. I decided to remain anonymous. I have not met these neighbors before, I have only admired from afar. I wanted this act to just be about me showing appreciation, I didn't want to receive anything in return. I had to be very sneaky when planting the package, so as not to be spotted. I really hope they enjoy it!

This is the lovely house all algow

 

The gift!

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well”
― Voltaire

Day 7: For the Troops

Christmas Cards to Deployed and Wounded Soldiers

I was searching for something to do for the soldiers that could not be with their families this Christmas. As a daughter of a career Army soldier, I have seen the sacrifices that soldiers and their families make first hand. I often forget just how much I appreciate all those sacrifice. I forget just how much those sacrifices shaped who I am today.  I think it is important if (at the very least) at Christmas, we take the time to tell the people in our lives how much they mean to us. I came home last night and searched online for ways to accomplish this. I saw that the Red Cross sponsors a program called Holiday Mail for Heroes. The premise is that people send them cards filled with messages of thanks and they forward them onto deployed troops and injured soldiers in military hospitals. I noticed that all the mail had to be postmarked TODAY to be sorted and reach the troops in time. There was no time to wait and ponder the idea. So I went out and bought a pack of cards and filled each with a personal message. A message just to let them know how appreciated they are and dropped them in the mail while mailing records for work. I may not know the soldiers these letters are going to but part of me feels like I do. I feel like each of those letters was to my father. I just wanted them to know how proud I was of what they do day in and day out. I want them to know that though they can not be home, home is thinking of them always. Jane and Amanda from work wrote cards too!! It feels good to write snail mail. Getting something out of the ol' mailbox is exciting these days. It is like someone took the time to care. Taking time is such can be such a novelty these days. I may try and use this outlet more during this season and maybe beyond. I am going to try very hard to carry my Christmas journey on throughout the year. 

 Here is the address, it is still worth a shot if anyone is interested.

 Though this Christmas card program is over today, if you would like to send a message to the troops you can do it through the USO website. 

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.  I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Day 6: Santa's Workshop

Sorting Toys for Children with the Redford Goodfellows

I feel like I am really beginning to get into the swing of all this. My dear friend from work, Jane told me she felt inspired. Yesterday she volunteered at the Redford Goodfellows. They were sorting and bagging all of the toys they've collected for children in need. She said she had a very good time doing it and let me know that they were doing it again today. An opportunity presented itself and I said YES. We headed out to a closed elementary school in Redford, MI. In one of the heat-less classrooms sat bags and boxes of donated toys just waiting to be sorted. We dove right in. Sorting toys in categories like games, boys, girls, arts and crafts, and books. After the sorting was complete it was time to bag. We got lists of children in each family. The kids ages varied from 1-12. We gave each child in the family a big toy, small toy, book, puzzle, stuffed animal, and game. Then we tagged each bag with a number and sent them to be loaded. Jane says they had a lot less toys today than they did yesterday. There wasn't many toys donated for the older children. Cathy, the dedicated organizer and planner of the drive, said that she always tells people to donate for older children because they never have enough. Good to know. I noticed that many people volunteer. Many older people, many parents and their children. I have also noticed that their is a serious absence of 20 and 30 somethings. I would be nice to see more faces like mine. Who knows, it is still early in the month, maybe I will be pleasantly surprised. I had a great time playing Santa yet again. I think I am even going to go back Saturday morning to help out.

Babes in Toyland

Sorting

Bagging (well over 200 families will receive gifts)

 There are Goodfellows in many, many cities and towns throughout Michigan. Here are a list of their websites. They are only active during Christmas and I am sure they can use all they can get. 

Canton: www.cantongoodfellows.org/index.php?option=com

Plymouth: http://www.plymouthgoodfellows.org/

Novi: novifire.com/events/novi-goodfellows

Detroit: www.detroitgoodfellows.org/Donate/tabid/55/Default.aspx

Livonia: www.livoniagoodfellows.org/

Wayne: waynegoodfellows.org/Support___Donations.html

Westland: https://westlandgoodfellows.org/

Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white'.
Bing Crosby

 

A Peppermint Stick from Old Saint Nick.

Saint Nicholas Day Surprise

December 5th, 2012

Today is the eve of Saint Nicholas Day. What is Saint Nicholas day you ask? Well it was a holiday created by the Catholic church to celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas, patron saint of children. St. Nick was the man who inspired the legend, Santa Claus. My family and I were fortunate enough to live in Germany (Germany KNOWS how to do Christmas) and while we were there we adopted many traditions. On the eve of Saint Nicholas day children in Germany put their shoes outside, when they wake in the morning the shoes have been filled with treats by Saint Nicholas himself. I remember having a lot of fun with this tradition. I thought I would teach some American kids the tradition as well. I had my co-worker Amanda's little sisters put out shoes. I had my boyfriend Jason's nephew put out shoes. I also had my friend Mandie's nephew put out shoes. The kids are all around 8, which is the perfect age!  I made sure their parents did not say why they needed to do so. Then after they all went to bed I drove to their houses and filled their shoes with treats and a little story about the tradition. Here is the story

Today is Noel, Kris Kringle, or St. Nicholas Day!!!!!!! Before there was Santa Claus, there was St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas was a very wealthy man. His parents left him loads of money, more money than he knew what to do with. St. Nicholas was also a kind and giving man. He traveled the lands and would drop gold and presents into the chimneys for families in needs. He also would fill the children’s shoes with goodies and toys. Nicholas was made a saint because of all his charity. He is the patron saint of all children. In many countries around the world people still celebrate St. Nicholas, or as you know him better, Santa Claus, the man. On the eve of December 6^th, children put their shoes outside and if they have been good St. Nicholas will fill them with treats! Looks like you have been good this year! If you ever have any doubt that Santa is real, just remember St. Nick is real; he is in the history books! Also, if you get gifts on St. Nicholas day there is a good chance you won’t get coal on Christmas. Merry Merry Christmas to you!!!

  I had lots of fun being a little elf. I am excited to hear about their reactions tomorrow. I can remember how purely excited things like this made me as a kid. I hope I am able to ignite that feeling in these great kids. Part of what makes Christmas so fun is the traditions. It takes effort to keep traditions alive. I hope I was able to pass along my families traditions to theirs!

The haul

This is Mandie's nephew Caleb's little shoe He only left out one shoe but it got stuffed full.

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” 

― Laura Ingalls Wilder