Happy Halloween!! Now let's talk Christmas! OK, let's scale it down a bit and just talk about Christmas cards. Who doesn't love giving and receiving a card during the Christmas season? I love a card any time of year really.
I know the holiday buzz starts early, so I start organizing my Christmas card list super early. The thing about my Christmas list is that it just doesn't include my family, it includes local families in need of some extra cheer. More specifically, I like to send cards to children who are in the hospital, or will be in and out of the hospital during the Christmas season.
When I was a teenager I enjoyed volunteering my time at the hospital. I'd visit the kids wing to play board games, watch cartoons and tell jokes. Kids always looked forward to visitors, especially if their parents had to work and couldn't be by their side the entire hospital stay. And sometimes parents appreciated a short break to grab a bite to eat, or a cup of coffee.
Over the years I have spent countless hours visiting and caring for family in hospital rooms. Nothing brought more cheer than when I'd bring a colorful card to leave on their bedside table, or window sill. It gave the sterile environment some color and lifted their spirits. I still keep big boxes of all occasion cards, or blank note cards on hand just to have a card ready.
A few years ago, I started a card writing mission called
Operation Christmas Cheer. I round up names of mostly local children going through chemo therapy, or spending days or weeks in the hospital receiving life saving treatments. Together with the help of generous friends and volunteers we organize card drops on behalf of those on our Cheer List. Our cards fill kid's rooms with colorful cards and their hearts with cheer. And it makes their families happy too.
This is a great opportunity for classrooms, scout groups, church groups, teen clubs and families to give back to their community. To participate follow along on
Facebook and then set aside a time to sign some store bought cards with kind words, or get crafty and gather friends to help make your own cards. We have a tradition of making our cards right after Thanksgiving and sending through out December. No matter what, you are bringing a smile to someone who could really use one.
The Whatever Mom is a full-time wife and twin mama living on coffee and wine. She enjoys the pure rush of cleaning the BIG potty between loads of laundry. It is her dream that moms everywhere accept and embrace the Whatever Mom philosophy which can be found here. You can also find her musings and popular shares on Facebook and Twitter. Stay up to date with her creative ideas and outings on Pinterest.
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