At the beginning of November our family started a new tradition where each night we added leaves to our Thanks Tree and Giving Tree. This experience was such a raging success that we decided to implement another new family holiday tradition, a Christmas Giving Tree.
Every night we add a paper ornament to our paper Christmas tree. You are probably much more creative than I am and can come up with a more festive tree – my tree is very basic. However, you get the point 
.
On the ornament we list an act of service we did that day. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. It could be as simple as smiling at your neighbor or saying “I love you” to a family member. It is a wonderful way to remind everyone daily what the holiday season is truly about.
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For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday ideas, please visit Shannon of Rocks In My Dyer. For more Christmas activity ideas, check out Scribbit’s Winter Bazaar.
21 Comments
November 27, 2007 at 8:22 PM
What a sweet and smart idea!
November 27, 2007 at 10:05 PM
Very nice idea! I love it!!
November 28, 2007 at 3:08 AM
I absolutely love this idea. I will be doing this with my kids. Thanks.
November 28, 2007 at 6:26 AM
This is a great way for reminding kids (and ourselves) the reason for the season. Thanks for sharing!
November 28, 2007 at 6:49 AM
Oh, this is a sweet idea. My girls have been arguing a lot lately, maybe this is just what I need.
November 28, 2007 at 6:55 AM
WONDERFUL idea. I love how it would keep the right perspective during a time that tends to get a bit selfish. Thank you for the great inspiration!
November 28, 2007 at 7:00 AM
Perfect ~ We will be doing this starting on Dec 1! Thanks for the idea.
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November 28, 2007 at 8:12 AM
I love that idea. This is truly what Christmas is all about.
November 28, 2007 at 8:40 AM
What a great idea! Simple to do yet so rich in value.
November 28, 2007 at 9:13 AM
What a really sweet and nice idea!
November 28, 2007 at 9:35 AM
Great idea, & very adaptable to different families or life lessons! Thanks for sharing!
November 28, 2007 at 10:03 AM
I LOVE this idea! I wish I had been this creative when my kids were little. You do the coolest things at your house.
November 28, 2007 at 10:40 AM
this is beautiful. i would think you could do it at other times of the year too, to remind ourselves to always be thankful and giving… love it!
November 28, 2007 at 11:39 AM
What a lovely idea.
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Have a great day!
November 28, 2007 at 12:47 PM
Great idea, I too did the Thanksgiving tree…
November 28, 2007 at 2:09 PM
Cute idea. We do something similar. Set up a nativity but leave baby Jesus out of the manger. You get to put a piece of straw in the manger for every act of kindness and the idea is that you make a nice soft bed for the baby by the time he arrives. Baby Jesus goes in the manger on Christmas Eve after the little ones have gone to bed. Thanks for posting to my blog last week- I love comments!
November 28, 2007 at 9:34 PM
Great idea, Lucy!
November 28, 2007 at 10:36 PM
Good twist on the theme–no reason why you can’t continue the spirit of gratitude and service on through the year.
November 30, 2007 at 11:48 AM
Loving that idea! What a great way to continue what you began at thanksgiving. It is so important to keep the little ones focused during this season – I think I might “steal” this!
December 1, 2007 at 12:44 PM
[...] Christmas Giving Tree [...]
December 1, 2007 at 11:30 PM
I LOVE this idea! I’m always looking for ways to bring the spirit of giving and love back into the season… this is an excellent one. Thanks for sharing!