12 Months of Christmas: February

I’m a bit late in posting this because, life.  But!  We completed our service project for the February edition of our 12 Months of Christmas initiative.

This month the girls decided to help a family that’s going through a rough spot with some medical and financial concerns.  More specifically, they wanted to bake cupcakes for the children of said family.  And they would have to be confetti cupcakes.  Naturally.

That’s the beauty of service, I think.  It doesn’t need to be a large-scale, grand gesture.  It can be something small that helps someone you know (or don’t know).  It can be a simple reminder that people care and want to help.  And I’ve learned that sometimes children have some of the best service ideas.

We also realized that baking 24 cupcakes for 2 small children was probably not going to win us any brownie points with their mom, so we decided to send 6 along to them and send the rest along with the girls to the other kids at the babysitter.  Snack time went very well.

12 Months of Christmas: January

Well, our first service project in the 12 Months of Christmas Project is in the books!

I’m so happy to report that for the month of January, we chose to support an organization called “Project Night Night.”  A nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, Project Night Night serves homeless children around the country by providing a tote bag with a new blanket, book, and stuffed animal.  As a mom of two young children and having always had a heart for the homeless, this service project was a “no-brainer” for me.

I first learned about Project Night Night at one of my schools.  In the lobby, a pile of Project Night Night totes sat empty and waiting to be filled.  The name – Project Night Night – stood out to me because both of my girls called nursing/breastfeeding “night-nights” when they wanted to nurse to sleep.  So, I was intrigued and Googled it.  When I found out what it was, I was sold.  I grabbed two tote bags and explained the project to my girls.  They were totally into it.

We shopped on January 25th – our designated monthly service day – and both girls picked out the items to fill the bags.  Two unicorn blankets, two teddy bears, “Mr. Brown Can Moo,” and “The Pout-Pout Fish.”  Stipulations were in place:  we were shopping for others and there would be NO purchases for ourselves.  No toys, no treats, no snacks, nothing.

It was a good trip.  At 6 years old, Bean totally understands the project – but at 2 years old, Bug was a little disappointed that she wasn’t getting any books to keep.  Oh well.  She’ll “get it” one day.

We’re still pondering our service project for February, so if you have any ideas, I’d be happy to hear them.  Perhaps something “love” related?

In the meantime, if Project Night Night sounds like an organization you’d like to support, feel free to visit their website to see how you can get involved.  You can donate money, new items for tote bags, host a fundraiser, or order your own set of tote bags to fill and deliver yourself.

Happy Serving!