Maybe it's the holidays that makes me all lovey dovey, maybe it's just part of me, or maybe it's this new website I came across.
Remembering the CHRIST in CHRISTmas can be difficult for anyone. It's easy to get wrapped up in the shopping, sales, movies, parties, sweets and shine! We would all be lying if we said it wasn't a lot of fun or exciting. But I know a lot of families are now giving to charities instead of each other, serving food at a shelter, or doing little things throughout the season to bring back the true meaning of Christmas.
So, back to the website I am now obsessed with. It's called Moreloveletters.com and you should check it out. You can sign up to get emails from their team with a story of someone who is in need of some encouragement, love, or acknowledgment. Or you can just start leaving little notes of encouragement in random spots. Some lucky person will find it and turn their day around. Many people leave notes in coat pockets, books, coffee shops, or tape them to a table (and leave the website on the note for the reader to share their story, or read about the organization and how it got started).
Hannah Brencher was trying to find her place in the world, and was doing so in NYC. She began writing letters and leaving them all around the city and kept a blog about writing love letters. She began receiving messages from people all over the world. They were asking her to send them a love letter, and in 9 months she wrote and mailed over 400 letters! These letters went to people she didn't know and would probably never meet, but the connections she made has touched thousands!
More Love Letters has "The 12 Days of Love Letter Writing," which starts today. When you sign up, you will receive an email each of those 12 days, with a request from someone for encouragement during the holiday season. You have one week to mail your letter from the day you receive the request. They will bundle all of the letters and mail them to the unsuspecting recipient just in time for the new year!
This holiday season I hope everyone finds their own way of giving back to the community and helping redefine Christmas! It's the season of giving, not receiving.
I am planning to keep up with the letters beyond Christmas. It's a great activity to do as an individual, in a group, with your students, with your family, or at random. You can make it a new family tradition and start writing letters on Thanksgiving, which you can leave throughout the city for people to find during the holiday season!
"Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store."
No comments:
Post a Comment