A Christmas Idea by Grandpa Jim

Just had a thought that others might benefit from. If you know of anyone who needs, or would enjoy, or in any way deserves such attention, may I suggest a variation on the “12 Days of Christmas” theme?

I just finished my version, which is stickers for the girls. We have three great granddaughters, 7, 5, and 3. Like all little ones, they enjoy stickers. I made out 36 envelopes, put in a handful of stickers, many of them different from their sister’s supply, tagged with numbers from 12 to 1, and dated them. They’ll be instructed to open one each day and that, alone, is kind of fun for them.

But it doesn’t have to be stickers, and it doesn’t have to be for kids. I once did this for a woman who has become a valued member of our extended family. She is a single, retired missionary who had to go up to Pennsylvania for her job several years back. Because she was away for the holidays, and ill part of the time, I thought it might make it easier for her to have twelve packages to open while there. There was nothing all that major in those presents, maybe an ornament, as I recall. I won’t try to list them here.

Now there is nothing all that essential about the number 12 if one can’t get it done in time.
Plan B would be to label the project 12 (cross out) 11 (cross out) and then “The 10 Days of Christmas.” (The 12 start on Sunday.) Plan C, of course, would be to postpone until Christmas of 2009, save up ideas, take advantage of sales, and make it a “whopper.”

I guess I can’t help but think about those people who find Christmas lonely, or isolated, or shut in, or whatever…maybe even neglected?

One could even put 12 (or whatever number) of different greeting cards in the envelopes, couldn’t they? Some could be seasonal, but some could be humorous, maybe? Some stores have a lot of “miniatures” which might work well.

If someone lives near enough, you could deliver one each day. Even anonymously? (Careful, Jim, you’ll get carried away here and you surely have been accused of THAT before.) Good luck! And Merry Christmas!