Be an Angel

12 daysAngel Trees from Prison Fellowship, the red buckets and bell-ringers from The Salvation Army, and Toys for Tots by the Marine Corps are all recognizable symbols of Christmas generosity. The need for kindness and aid to those less fortunate, especially this year, is great.

Countdown to ChristmasToday’s Countdown to Christmas Challenge is to take part in helping your neighbors. Become a force for good this Christmas. Search out ways to help others. Demonstrate to your children all the ways that Christmas is about giving instead of only getting. The impact of people helping people is for the good of all. Spread the Christmas spirit!

How are you showing kindness this holiday season? What are your favorite charitable organizations? Visit the 100 Days to Christmas Facebook page and join the conversation.

Fortify your Food Bank

51 daysThis Thanksgiving will see a lot more families struggling to provide the ingredients for a traditional meal. Men, women, and children will rely on donations of food from their local food bank throughout this holiday season.

Countdown to ChristmasToday’s Countdown to Christmas Challenge is simply to remember those in your community who may be partaking of the generosity of friends and neighbors through the use of the local food bank. Take out the grocery list you started for your Thanksgiving meal planning and add a note or list some non-perishable items that can easily be purchased along with your own Thanksgiving ingredients.

Today, head over to SimpleMom.net for the start of her series on preparing for a peaceful Christmas.

Establish a Tradition of Giving

67 daysAlthough generosity should not be demonstrated solely at Christmas-time, it is still the perfect season to exhibit compassion and human kindness. It is a life lesson that all children should have the opportunity to learn.

Countdown to ChristmasThe Countdown to Christmas Challenge for today is to begin to research ways for your family to give this season. Take a look around your community for something meaningful to you. Remember that if you don’t offer some help, who will? This will be a difficult Christmas for many people this year. You don’t have to give money to contribute. Look for ways you can donate your time and energy as well.

Visit the 100 Days to Christmas Facebook page and tell us know about your family’s giving tradition(s)!

ListPlanIt.comThis week’s giveaway is one that is unlike any other we’ve ever done.  It is not a giveaway to the fans and followers of 100 Days to Christmas, but to a worthy organization, designated by fans and followers.  ListPlanIt.com wants to give $.25 for every comment that is left between today and Friday, October 21 at 6 p.m.

You have several ways to vote for your choice of charitable organizations:

1) leave a comment here and tell us which organization you think is most deserving of this award and why,

2) tell your friends & followers on Twitter about how they can vote for an organization of their choice and increase the size of the donation when you tweet, “Visit http://100DaystoChristmas.com to learn how you can vote to support your favorite charity this holiday season with @ListPlanIt!”,

3) blog about your favorite charitable organization and encourage your readers to vote at 100 Days to Christmas, then leave a comment here linking to your post.

4) follow our page on Facebook and tell our entire community that you are going to participate in this week’s giveaway by leaving the following message on our Facebook wall, “I support {your charitable organization} because {your reason}.  Visit http://100DaystoChristmas.com to learn how you can vote to support your favorite charity this holiday season!”

One of each of these per day please. You have until Friday, October 21 at 6 pm EST to enter.

100 days to christmas