Christmas Chain of Charity

Christmas is a time for giving.  Us adults know that, but sometimes the little ones forget.

And sometimes children also forget how many days til Christmas, and have their parents begging for Christmas to come soon just to put an end to the relentless asking,

“How many days til Christmas?How many days til Christmas?How many days til Christmas?How many days til Christmas?How many days til Christmas?”

If you find this to be the case at your house, here is something your whole family will enjoy.  It is a visual count-down to the days of Christmas and it keeps the true spirit of Christmas alive in the home.

This is a paper chain with a twist.

Needed: tape, scissors, pencils, and Christmas-y paper (red, green, and white construction paper, Christmas wrapping paper, fancy scrapbook paper, etc)

1. Cut 1 – 1.5″ wide strips of the paper you chose. You want one strip for each day til Christmas (so if you were to start today, you would want 23).

2. Distribute the strips amongst family members.  Each family member writes one thing on the strip that can be the gift of love.  (I have found that with the busy-ness of the season, it’s best to choose simple ones and do them, than ones that take time, and don’t get done.)

3.Tape the ends of the strips together to make a loop, and connect the loops together.

4. Hang it somewhere prominently in your home, perhaps where a child reach.

Chain made with Christmas colored construction paper

5. Each day, disconnect one of the loops and announce the gift of love that everyone should try to do that day.

Here are some ideas that we have had over the years:

• give someone a hug
• tell someone you love them
• Read a story to a family member
• make someone’s bed
• call Grandma on the telephone
• Send a letter to a friend
• Do a secret service for someone
• Clean the rubbish from the park or beach
• Say “hello” to a stranger
• Wish someone outside of the family “Merry Christmas”

This alone has helped our family focus on the spirit of giving during the Christmas season and has done away with incessant questioning of when Christmas will come.

May it do so in your home as well.