The Santa Project 2022 Summary!

I suppose the most logical way to write a summary of the 2022 Santa Project would be to do it NUMERICALLY.  You know, how many kids wrote letters to Santa, how much Kindness Activist money was used to buy the gifts, etc….

But the thing is, not much is LOGICAL about the Santa Project…

I guess the most simple way to give a summary would be to show a couple of the letters kids wrote to Santa and how Santa replied. 

But then, nothing about the Santa Project is SIMPLE either…

But the 2022 event finally wrapped up yesterday, January 22, 2023, so it is time to tackle the summary, however I figure out how to do it.  I want to share the results with you, I owe you a summary, so here goes!!

Deep breath.

Some letters to Santa come complete with portraits of the big man!

Whew – the Santa Project was exhausting!!!  I took some time off before it to spend visiting my family in Omaha, and as soon as the plane landed back in Arlington I hit the ground running.  The letter writing station opened on November 30^th and stayed up until around December 15^th.  During that time, over 200 people wrote letters to Santa – 212 people to be exact.  Compare that to year one (2020) when 111 people wrote.  Or to 2021 when 142 people wrote.  The project is growing!!

And those 212 people were not the only ones to receive gifts and letters from the big man at the North Pole.  Some special gifts were also given this year to folks in difficult situations that did not write, but Santa treated them anyway (17 people).  More about that in a bit.

During the Santa Project, our home (which we lovingly call the Big Yellow House) is over-run by it.  People stop by the station at all hours of the day and night and mail their letters in the special mailbox that goes straight to the North Pole.  Amazon boxes arrive in droves – there were so many deliveries this year that our porch was constantly covered in a sea of brown boxes and white padded envelopes.  Volunteers (called “elves” of course!) pop in and out everyday to wrap gift after gift after gift.  And I sit at my laptop and compose letter after letter after “will I ever finish???” letter from Santa to respond to the excited writers.  Each letter is unique – no copy and paste here.  Santa answers their questions.  Commends them on their drawing and writing.  Asks them questions.  Tells them funny stories.  And even gives secret behind-the-scenes details about the goings on at the North Pole! 

But no – taking on this herculean task isn’t enough!  Well, it is enough, but in my excitement, I forgot that it was, and so added even MORE to the holiday plate!!!  Not only did we have the annual countdown to Christmas advent calendar running (which has amazing treats and surprises for kids to come and find in colorful little cubbies from December 1 – 24….), but I also held craft sessions so kids could make gifts for a loved one!  Ahhhh – what was I thinking???  (Not to worry – a detailed “lessons learned” list was created and “HOST GIFT MAKING SESSIONS BEFORE THE SANTA PROJECT BEGINS” is written on it in bold letters…)  Oh, and I also set aside time to prep for and do an interview with the Washington Post about the project, smack dab in the middle of it!!  The story made the print edition (and online) on December 10^th.  I am very honored that Theresa Vargas wrote the piece and feel that it beautifully captures the spirit of the project.  I wish that you could hear the author read it aloud.  I had that honor and it made me cry.  Think about that!  I obviously knew the story – I had interviewed for it and was living it!  But hearing Ms. Vargas’ voice tell me the story over the phone was magical.  You can read it here:  Mrs. Claus Is Ready

Now, while this special project is going on, “regular life” must continue, too.  The Little Yellow Free Pantry must be filled.  The Daily Poll must be changed.  Bills must be paid.  Work must be done.  People who need to borrow fancy outfits to wear to holiday events must be shown the Fancy Outfit Library.  It is not like those normal daily activities PAUSE during Santa season…  (Though, in all honesty, things like cleaning the house, or going to the eye doctor at the scheduled time, or getting enough sleep – THOSE things were squeezed out of the calendar to make space for Santa.  And the task of making and writing our annual Christmas cards has still not happened, a month later!  Nor has buying gifts for my own friends and family!!!) 

But back to what you are here to read about – the SANTA PROJECT!!

Great drawing of Santa from Maddie!

Like all Kindness Activist projects, this one is not needs based.  This one is MAGIC BASED!

And as always, the letters from children were amazing, delightful, funny, sad, and every other emotion you can think of.  Some made me laugh out loud.  Some made me cry.  And some forced me to take photos of them to send to the adult connected with the writer to ask for a translation because I could not read what was written 😊 . 

For those new to this project, a little explanation.  We have a beautiful bright red shiny desk that sits in a place of honor in front of our home during Santa season.  On the desk are:  blank paper, envelopes, writing instruments (crayons, pens, colored pencils, pencils), and candy canes for those who finish their letter.  The instructions on the desk tell letter writers to include:  their name, their age, if they have been good or bad this year (this will change for 2023), 3 ideas of small gifts that Santa can choose from for them, and their adult’s name and phone number.  When they finish their letter, they seal it in an envelope and pop it in the mailbox labeled “North Pole” next to the desk (we got a shiny new mailbox this year!).  They then put the red mailbox flag up, and can be certain that their letter will reach Santa!! 

In reality, of course, the red flag means that we have INCOMING LETTERS so we rush out to retrieve them.  Each and every letter sent gets a reply from Santa (written by me).  The replies are by far my favorite part of the project.  They mean more to me than the gifts, because the letters from Santa are (in my opinion) where the magic happens!  And, because this is year 3 of this project, I have historical information that I can peek at to make the reply letters even more special!!  I can look back at last year’s spreadsheet and see that, for example, Lissy got Junie B. Jones books as part of her gift in 2021, and Vahn got wooden toy food to use to practice the fine motor skill of cutting.  That means Santa can mention those “secret things that only he knows” in this year’s letter!  For example, “Did you read those Junie B. Jones book I brought you last year??  Weren’t they so funny?!!” or “So Vahn, have you been having fun playing with the food the elves made for you last year??”.  And, because of the historical info, I can also sometimes see what is happening in the child’s family.  For example, if a child asked for a gift for a soon-to-be-born sibling in 2021, in 2022 I can congratulate them for being such a great big brother/sister.  Or, if they reported in 2021 that they had difficulty being good, Santa can check in on that and ask about improvements.  Or, like one letter writer, if they asked in 2021 for a Covid vaccine for children (an actual request), in 2022 Santa can celebrate with them that the vaccines are now available!  Being able to look back on past letters to and from Santa really helps to add more magic and, I think, stretch out the amount of time that little letter writers believe.  Many parents have commented that the letters are their favorite part, too.  Some parents tell me that they are saving the letters from Santa.  What an honor! 

One big change in the project this year was opening it up and asking for more HELP.  The first year, I did it all alone (well, I roped by partner David in to assist, but the vast majority was done by me).  In year two, I asked for volunteers to help WRAP GIFTS.  I quickly realized how invaluable that assistance was!!  And in year three, I made an Amazon Wish List and shared it with the public so that whoever wanted to get involved could grant wishes that were asked for in letters.  Oh.  My.  Goodness!!  I was bowled over by people’s generosity and support!!!!  In previous years, Kindness Activist funds covered the cost of all of the gifts.  This year, GENEROUS DONORS covered the majority!!!  Y’all amaze and inspire me!  The fact that people all around the country were willing to step in and buy gifts for kids they had never met, to fulfill wishes from letters they had not even read, blew me away.  Seriously, donated gifts arrived in Amazon boxes every day!!  Some had gift slips with the names of donors, others “Santa-ed” me and just signed the slips “Santa” or “an elf”.  I am still not caught up with writing all of the thank you notes for those gift donations.  Little by little, I am getting them done.  This was a very important lesson for me.  people.  Want.  To.  Help.  People want to be kind!!!  Sometimes they do not know where to go to express that desire or how to do it.  Giving them the opportunity to help fund this project allowed the load to be split – the cost spread out among many, many people.  This freed up Kindness Activist funds and will allow them to be used in many creative ways instead of spending such a large percentage of the total fund on the Santa Project.

At the Big Yellow House (aka the “North Pole”) it is not “one letter/one gift”.  Oh no siree.  I would guess that the average letter writer got 2 ½ gifts this year.  And EACH ONE was individually wrapped by volunteer elves who seemed to be in our basement every single day of the project.  The presents were gorgeous!!!  Each one also had a “topper” – a decorative item on top – to make them super special.  And each one was tagged and signed from Santa. 

As disorganized as it looks around the Big Yellow House during Santa season, there is some method to the madness.  This year David was in charge of alphabetizing the gifts so that they could be more easily retrieved when it was time to give them.  He set up tables all around the house – one held letters A – D, one E – G, you get the picture.  There were gift everywhere – on both floors of the house!  It was magnificent!!  Fun fact:  the most popular names in our area start with the letters A – I .

This is not close to all of the gifts!!  Some had already been picked up, some where still downstairs...  This is just when we came up for air and thought, "Hey, we better document this with a photo!"

I mentioned earlier that some people got gifts from Santa this year even though they did not write him a letter.  Those were special cases, like the woman who left a note in the Little Yellow Free Pantry asking for maseca (flour used to make tortillas), oil, and gifts for her children.  And the Amazon driver who made delivery after delivery after delivery – her sons got gifts from Santa.  And the two strong women who took in a teenager to provide foster care when it was desperately needed – they got a gift from Santa (as did the teen – the teen was showered with gifts from magical donors).  And the woman from Guatemala who works cleaning a neighbor’s home – she is a hard-worker, single parent with 6 daughters – THEY got gifts from Santa.  And the brother and sister who get a snack and drink at the Little Yellow Free Pantry everyday (because, as the girl explained, “Our mom has enough money to get food, but not snacks”) – Santa brought them gifts, too.  And the little boy who was visiting from Canada and walked over with his little friends so they could pick up gifts Santa had left them??  Oh yes, he got a gift.  And the kids of a neighbor struggling financially and emotionally – Santa knows.  Sometimes letters are not possible when life itself is overwhelming.  Santa gets it.

And, like everything in life, there were some special stories.  One family with 3 kids was going out of town for the holidays, so Santa was holding their gifts until they returned.  Only, while they were on vacation, their rental car got BROKEN INTO and the “bad guys” (as reported by the children) stole gifts that Santa (the other Santa, not this one…) had already given them!!  Well, they wrote another letter to this Santa, and, with some quick communication back and forth with their mother, the gifts were replaced when they got back to Arlington.  They were thrilled!

One adult wrote a letter that really touched my heart.

 

Obviously, Santa couldn’t bring him what he asked for, but David and I tried to track him down.  He had written his address on the letter but when we went there no one was home.  And the phone number he gave does not work.  But we will keep trying.  Santa can’t give his family a safe home, but Kindness Activist most certainly can hook him up with something nice.

One girl who wrote to Santa is in America as a refugee from Ukraine.  She and her mother are super sweet – quiet, kind, and nice people.  They seem relieved to have a safe place to stay while the war rages on in their home country, but are eager for peace to come to Ukraine so they can return.

 

Santa could not put an end to the bloodshed, but he most definitely granted every other wish this child asked. 

One girl included a gift for SANTA in her letter - $2!!  It was the sweetest thing and made me cry.  This Santa always roots for the underdog, and the meek and humble kids tend to get showered with gifts.  So not only did this girl get the Skittles she asked for, she got a lot more.

I LOVE that she referenced 3 holidays in her letter to Santa. 
We live in a very diverse community, and kids of many faiths wrote letters.

Sometimes the magic extends beyond the letter to Mr. Claus. A little boy showed up one foggy, drizzly evening to write a letter.  It was dark and the desk was damp, but we dried it off so he could sit down and compose.  When he was finished, he shyly interpreted for his mother, who wanted to ask if it was ok for them to take some items from the Little Yellow Free Pantry.  I explained that food is always available and is for everyone, and they should take whatever they need at any time.  I went in to the pantry supply area and packed some bags of groceries for them.  The mamma was very, very grateful.  After we loaded the things in their vehicle, she quietly asked the boy to interpret again.  She wanted to know if it would be ok to write a letter to Santa for another child, her grown son with Downs Syndrome.  Of course!!!  Second letter composed and “mailed”.  Then, before they left, she very meekly asked the son to interpret again.  Might it be possible, she asked, that I knew where they could get a bed??  It turned out that the family was in desperate need.  Mamma had gotten them out of a bad situation, and they had nothing.  Because I was already overwhelmed with everything Santa related, I could not take on the task of coordinating and collecting all that was needed.  But a volunteer quickly raised her hand, and the community stepped up to support the family.  In just a couple of days they had a bed, sheets (they had been sleeping on old mattresses on the floor with no sheets), new pillows, blankets, and other much needed items. 

I wish that I could scan and share loads of letters kids wrote here.  But this story is already long enough, so I will choose just a few to show you. 

This child was very PRECISE in his description of his behavior - 85% good!

Agreed!  The "elvs" are very cute!

"Art splis" you want, art splis you shall receive!

This child has got to be one of the very kindest in the world.  

Yeah for Cheez-Its!!

Girl stop.  You had me at DISCO BALL....

Beautiful drawing!

It's always good when kids DRAW what they want!  (At first I thought she was asking for broccoli...)

Envelope addressed to Santa

This one warmed my heart - he explained what his brother wanted, too.  Their mom sent a video after they opened the gifts, and he nailed it on the request for his brother!  It was perfect.

Sometimes you have to read them ALOUD to figure out the phonetic spelling :)  

Another honest report - this letter writer has struggled.  His mom provided additional details so that Santa could write a response that might help with some behavior.

I love this letter.  She is so honest in reporting her behavior and feelings.  Adults could learn a thing or two from her.  Also, she asked for a gift for her MOM instead of herself!!

This one cracked me up - under the scratch out he wrote "not this" - just in case Santa didn't understand.

Beautiful self-portrait of a writer

This one was very magical.  Her dad rang the doorbell a few days AFTER the letter writing station had closed.  He was desperate to find a place just to MAIL this letter to the North Pole that his daughter had already written.  I brought the mailbox back out, he brought the child around, and she mailed it.  Then we set about making the magic happen!  Only, there ARE NO SHORT HAIR MERMAID DOLLS!!  So an amazing neighbor who is a stylist gave a mermaid doll a great haircut.  And another neighbor donated a beautiful "feder"!  

Luckily Santa knows some elves that are great translators....

     

This one is addressed "Dear Santa".  Something must've happened between mailing THIS, and dropping off the thank you note that follows....

Isn't she sweet???  

Another very honest letter from a 5 year old who was both good and bad...

There will always be some wishes that are impossible for Santa to grant:

-         For me and my friends to be best friends forever

-         For an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine

-         A sister

-         Peace of mind and a home for my family

And just to be clear, being Santa is by no means a thankless job!  Lots of people express their gratitude.  One parent texted, “Thank you!  My kids loved the letter and present from Santa!  My youngest kept reading the letter the whole morning.  You have brought joy to this family!”.  Another wrote, “The girls LOVE their gifts and the thoughtful letters!  Bless you.”  From another, “Kids were over the moon with all your kind gifts.  Thank you so very much.  God bless!”.  One mom texted, “Thank you once more for making so many lives happier!”.  And sometimes kids themselves drop off thank you notes at our home (to be forwarded to the North Pole, obviously…).

Some behind the scenes details:

Popular asks for 2022:  Lego, Squishmallows, stuffies, Pokemon, Hot Wheels

Some of my favorite gifts:  hot sauce, hoola hoop, Skittles, a short haired mermaid Barbie, art supplies, Play Doh, Hot Wheels garage (it was huge – for 2 brothers – their eyes LIT UP when they saw the size of the box), wooden food, a cool school bus, a garbage truck, a little mamma cat with a zipper in her tummy that when you unzipped it, revealed KITTENS (it was a bit “c-section” looking but very cute), a HUGE Hershey kiss, “treasures or gems” (aka shiny rocks), and Cheez-Its (yes, someone asked for Cheez-Its). 

Funniest wrapping: Elf Betsy is an expert wrapper, and she got ahead of me and couldn’t wrap more gifts, because I did not have letters from Santa ready.  So, she really took her time on the one gift that was ready: a small Nintendo Switch game.  She wrapped it in a box.  Then wrapped that box in another box.  And that box in another box…  And on and on and on.  The end result was a BIG PRESENT that weighed very little.  I was able to witness the boy come to pick it up, and he looked both surprised and confused….  He had only asked for the one thing, the small game cartridge.  Yet here he was getting a big box.  I wish I could’ve watched him open it!

KINDNESS ACTIVIST FUNDS USED:  $1561.09 (this includes shipping a few gifts, a new tree skirt for the Community Tree of Celebration where the gifts were all displayed for pick-up, some ribbons and wrapping paper, batteries for gifts that needed them, and gifts!)  This number would have been SO MUCH HIGHER without the generous support of people all around the country who pitched in and granted wishes from the Amazon wish list!  Thank you!

Thank yous go out to:

·       Countless elves for wrapping tons of gifts

·       Donors of wrapping paper, boxes, and ribbon

·       Friends who knew we were not eating right and delivered meals 

·       Gifts of homemade cookies and treats

·       Magical elves who delivered gifts to households who could not come pick them up or who we only had an address for

·       Gifts of bottles of wine (aka “elf juice”) that kept us going

·       Elves who heard my pleas to run to Target to pick up gifts I had ordered and brought them back to our house

·       Jessica for making the letters for the new mailbox and sign

·       Adults willing to let the kids in their lives participate in the magic

·       Pantry volunteers who helped out keeping the pantry stocked when I could not find the time or energy to do it

·       Ixi and Ivanna who translated lots of Santa letters into Spanish

·       Vera who translated letters into Ukrainian

·       The many, many donors who granted gifts from the Amazon wish list – because of your generosity, Kindness Activist funds will be able to be used for many, many more projects and surprises this year!

·       Adults who trusted us to take care of your kids while they made crafts to give as gifts

·       Donors who kept food and toiletries coming for the Little Yellow Free Pantry during the chaos of December

·       Heather who helped with the Fancy Outfit Library holiday rush

·       Theresa Vargas of the Washington Post, who so eloquently captured the essence of the project

·       Heather, stylist extraordinaire, who gave a mermaid Barbie a bob and reglued the package so it looked like she came that way

·       Parents who sent photos and videos of their kids reading their letters from Santa and opening their gift

·       And anyone else who, in my exhaustion, I have overlooked

#ItTakesAVillage

#HolidayMagic

#SantaProject

#KindnessActivist 

#BelieveInTheMagic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kindness Activist Funds - First Report for 2023!

One of the principles of Kindness Activist is transparency - the funds being used to spread kindness come from many people - those who donate items to the annual yard sale, those who shop at the yard sale, those who make monetary donations, those who shop at a kindness auction...  Because these funds belong to so many people (and because I have been given the honor to use them), I am careful to account for how they are used and report back to YOU!  

So, here is the most recent installment of how Kindness Activist funds are being used to create KINDNESS RIPPLES in the world!

No one gets into the “kindness business” for the thank you s, but still, sometimes when you get them, they are super sweet.  And the last bunch of thank you notes that were dropped through our mail slot were just that – SWEET.

We used Kindness Activist funds to purchase some items for the playground of a local school whose students and staff had experienced a great loss.  Luckily, there was a wish-list of what was wanted. 

Kindness Activist gave the school a “mud kitchen” (outdoor play kitchen), pots, pans, strainer, and utensils to use with the kitchen (because how can you cook imaginary food without pots and pans??), and a really cool Tonka toy crane.  Obviously, these gifts cannot heal the sadness that everyone at the school must work through, but hopefully this small gift will bring a bit of joy to the young children.  I know that their thank you notes sure made me smile.

 

You are very welcome, little friends. 

 

Isn't this a super drawing??

And you, my friend, are womberfull, too

A heart AND a rainbow!!  Not sure what I did to deserve both!

Kindness Activist funds used:  $235.48

 

A neighbor reached out to ask if there were any books leftover from the Kindness Yard Sale that she could use to start a lending library in the teacher’s lounge at her children’s elementary school.  Well, we did not accept anything other than children’s books at the sale this year, so we didn’t have any appropriate ones to donate.  However, we DID have proceeds from the sale to buy some brand-new books to get the teacher’s lounge library started!!!  It was fun to choose a wide range of books that teachers might enjoy.  And the neighbor got some beautiful inserts to go inside the book covers, too!

Kindness Activist funds used:  $130.83 

 

Another person was looking for donations of big games that could be used for an event at a local high school.  Well, giant Jenga is fun for all, right??  So, Kindness Activist funds were used to give the school Jenga to use for the event and keep for future use.  I would say that was money well spent 😊 .

 

Kindness Activist funds used:  $125.61 

  

A local couple recently got the awful news that no one ever wants to hear…  let alone hear when you are out of town:  the pipes in their basement burst with the cold weather!  Not only that, but their bedroom and closets were in the basement, where everything was flooded. 

 

When they got back to town, they had a huge mess to clean up.  Neighbors loaned them fans, dehumidifiers and other supplies to help clean up, but even with the needed equipment that is a stressful situation to be in.  So, Kindness Activist sent a hearty lunch from Panera their way.  They were very thankful for the nourishment. 

 

Kindness Activist funds used:  $55.58

 

We have granted several pantry visitors’ grocery wish lists recently.  Guests are always very thankful to receive fresh meat, produce, and the other items they specifically request.  Special thanks to the “Pantry Crew” volunteers who often make these grocery shopping runs for guests!  It takes a village!

 

Kindness Activist funds used:  $272.88

 

And last but not least for this report – do you know those little cars that kids can sit in and actually drive?  Well, a neighbor scored one for free for her child to give as a holiday gift!  Only, it had one issue – it needed a new battery.  Kindness Activist to the rescue!!  We donated a brand new battery and a shiny big red bow to make the car look super fancy! 

 

Looks like it is on the showroom floor!  :) 

Kindness Activist funds used:  $42.50

More updates on how Kindness Activist funds are used coming up!!  In the meantime, thanks for all of your support.  Make sure you check out our website at:  Kindness Activist

Year-Round Kindness

I have been pondering something this holiday season and want to share it here.

The holidays bring out the best in many people. 

Yes, holidays can also be very hard for some and bring up grief, sadness, addiction, depression, and loneliness.

But many people really “up their game” during the holiday season in terms of KINDNESS. 

People who don’t normally set aside funds for donations find a way to squeeze a bit into their budget to give to a local group or place of worship.

People who are normally too busy to give the gift of physical help and time somehow find pockets of availability to give assistance.

People who are normally too shy to interact with others find the strength to come out of their comfort zones and participate.

I have been pondering how to harness that holiday feeling and convince people that the kind acts they do during this time can be replicated year-round.

I think if we could all find a way to remember how good it feels to be kind, how amazing it feels to get involved, and how special it feels to help, then this type of “holiday kindness surge” wouldn’t have to plummet once the new year rolls around.

Many organizations, mine included (Kindness Activist) need support and assistance year-round.  There are always things that need to be done.  Yet many organizations are inundated with kindness and support during the holidays, which then dries up for the next several months. 

An example of this is a story I heard recently.  Someone was looking to donate TOYS about a week before Christmas to a worthwhile organization.  They contacted a women’s shelter and were told that their capacity for toy donations was full up.  The organization could not physically take any more toys.  So many people had been moved to donate that they could not store anymore. 

But think about it…  The children in that shelter with their mothers need toys year round.  New children come and go.  Toys break.  Children have birthdays.  And I would bet $5 that donation of toys to the shelter surges in November and December, then dies out until the next November.  If the offer had come in to donate after the holiday season, the shelter would have been thrilled and had space to accept.

Another example is giving gift cards, food, and items to people experiencing homelessness.  There are so many stories during the holidays of people going out to feed others living on the streets.  And that is LOVELY and I am sure very appreciated, but those same people (and more) will also need food in March.  In August. 

Or how about the groups of volunteers who come out in droves during the holidays to serve meals to those experiencing homelessness in shelters?  Yes, it is amazing that people are willing to give of their time to plate meals and serve them to strangers with a smile, but those same dinners need to be served every single night of the year, not only during the holidays. 

I do not want to come across here as ungrateful.  I promise I am grateful for every ounce of kindness that people put out into the world, be it during the holidays or at another time.  The world NEEDS.  MORE.  KINDNESS.

But I encourage you (us, really, myself included for sure) to work to find a way to keep the spirit of kindness going…  Long after the menorah is put away.  Long after the lights are taken off the tree.  Long after the holiday spirit moves you.

Make time for kindness.

It doesn’t have to be big.  It doesn’t have to take loads of time or money.  It doesn’t even have to cost a penny! 

o   Send someone a greeting card (not a holiday card) in the middle of the year

o   Offer to drive someone to a medical appointment

o   Bake a batch of cookies for a neighbor

o   Do you drop your spare change in the red Salvation Army bucket during the holidays?  Drop it in a cup in your car instead, and when it adds up a bit use that money to buy a stranger’s lunch

o   Donate your time or money to an organization whose mission moves you

o   Ask a local public school teacher what is needed for their classroom (there will be needs) then follow through on meeting one or two

o   Donate blood or plasma – that is needed year-round

o Did you leave snacks out for the Amazon delivery people during the holidays?  They work hard for the same pay the rest of the year, too - keep treating them

o   Make an extra big pot of soup or other food and surprise a neighbor with some

o   Stop and say hello to someone who looks sad – you may be the only person they talk to all day

 

Keep the kindness you feel in your heart during the holidays kindled year-round.  Not only will you feel better about yourself, you will be making the world a kinder place. 

And isn’t THAT a mission that we can all get behind??

To learn more about Kindness Activist and perhaps share some of your kindness with us, visit: TheKindnessActivist.Org

 

 

 

 

Holiday Magic

Another day filled with writing letters from Santa (soooo close to done I can taste it – trying to decipher a few really hard ones that kids wrote that are left).  MORE Amazon deliveries (including the coveted collectibles that a very special child requested that this elf feared might be late, but the holiday gods shone down and they were delivered even quicker than the specialty website said they would be).

I put out an ELF EMERGENCY call for people to come wrap and elves came running.  Seriously, so many beautiful people have contributed to this amazingly huge effort.

And the Amazon woman.  Oh, the Amazon woman.

She brought a verrrry big delivery a couple of weeks ago.  As she hauled box after bag after box after box to the front porch (not to worry, I helped her carry), we talked.  I explained the Santa Project, and let her know that her hard work of delivering all of these gifts was going to make a LOT of children happy.  I asked if she had kids.  Turns out she has 2.  “Well, they deserve gifts from Santa!  What are their names, ages, and what would they like??” I asked.  She smiled, answered my questions, and gave me her phone number.  I said I would let her know when they were ready to be picked up.  Ironically, of course, they were ordered from Amazon, the very company she delivers for (as a contractor, Amazon doesn’t hire drivers apparently). 

 

She did another delivery here a couple of days ago and rang the doorbell to pick up the promised gifts, only they weren’t wrapped yet (and Santa hadn’t written their reply letters either).  She figured she would be delivering in the area again, no worries.  Only, the next time she came back, same problem – not ready.  I felt so bad.  “Hey, where do you live?  We will DELIVER them,” I told her.  “Maryland…” she answered, making it sound like it must be a part of Maryland not too close to us.

 

We finally had the gifts ready and arranged a time for her to grab them at the end of her route in the area, but she was busy and forgot.  Yesterday when we talked she said she would make a trip out to our house to get them today.  “The 10 B bus runs right by your home.”

 

Wait, what?  She drives and makes deliveries for a living, but will take the bus to our home? 

 

That’s when I realized that she has always been in a rental van when she delivers…  I bet she spends her own hard-earned money to rent a van to work.

 

She called from the train as she was on her way over today, and that’s when I realized, I had made gifts for her sons (really cute hoodies and a cool Star Wars hologram-like puzzle) but no gift for HER.  That had to change.

 

I quickly wrapped up something special just for her; body spray, a very fancy chocolate bar, fancy lip gloss, and a really pretty bracelet.  I put some decorative items on top of the package, then sat down for the most important part: writing the letter from Santa.

 

So many of the letters are difficult to write.  Sure, there are the easy replies to kids who just say, “I’ve been good, please give me x, y, z…”.  But what to reply to the Ukrainian girl who asks for an end to the bloodshed (her words)?  What to reply to the child who just got placed with a foster family and has nothing?  And what to reply to the extremely hard-working woman who is taking a bus a long distance to pick up gifts for her children??

 

I composed the letter and was proud of the result.  It said what it needed to say – encouragement, compassion, respect, and empathy for how difficult it must be to raise two young black men in this country. 

 

I had all of the gifts under the Community Tree of Celebration when she arrived.  We greeted one another, and I realized that I needed to get a plastic bag for her to transport the gifts as it was raining.  I ran in, grabbed a big blue Ikea bag, and brought it out to her.  She was holding one gift – the shared gift for the two boys, the puzzle.  “Oh, that bag is way too big!” she said, “I just need a grocery bag,”.  I turned to the tree and pointed to the other gifts, “But those are all for your family”. 

 

She hadn’t realized and was taken aback.  “Really??  You are gonna make me tear up!”. 

 

We picked up the presents and put them in the big blue bag, then covered that with garbage bags for good measure.  As we worked, we talked.  She said she has the next few days off work, then will start back up again.  We talked about Amazon returns, and she said, “If Amazon won’t take it back, you can give it to someone else!!  Or give it to the Salvation Army, they are GOOD PEOPLE.  They helped me a LOT!”.

 

She went on to explain how the Salvation Army came to her home when she was on government assistance and saw that she had no furniture.  “It was just me and one son then, but the Salvation Army gave him a bed, gave me a QUEEN SIZE BED, 2 dressers, an antique rocking chair and rocking footstool…” and on and on she went, explaining in detail with a gleam in her eyes all of the magical things that were bestowed on her, things that she couldn’t buy because furniture is so expensive.  She was so very grateful.  “Then, guess what??  They gave us 4 TVs!!  4!  For only 2 people!  And I told them that was too many, but they said, ‘Then sell them!’  But no, I didn’t feel right selling them after they were given to me.  So, do you know what I did?  I gave them away as Christmas gifts!!  I gave one to someone I knew.  The other, I walked up to a stranger’s house.  I put a note that said, “Merry Christmas from Santa” on the tv, and I left it right in front of the door!!”. 

 

What magic!!  This woman who I was trying to surprise with a gift had herself spread the very same magic to a stranger herself!!!

 

“And do you know what?” she went on.  “Those people I gave that tv to – they had Ring doorbell video of me, and they tried for two years to find me to thank me!!  They hired a private investigator!  He found me through social media and came to serve me a warrant.  Only, he said that the warrant said I didn’t need to show up in court, I needed to go to an address listed on it”.  Well, she went to the address, and the people who she had gifted the television to were so happy to finally know who had been their magical Santa.

 

When she was ready to leave, I popped inside and grabbed an umbrella for her (we have brand new ones from Kindness Activist to give to people in just this kind of situation – everyone deserves an umbrella in the rain). “Hey!!” she smiled at me, “You just gave me my very favorite color!!”.  Meant to be.

 

What a beautiful soul.  Working so very hard.  Traveling quite a distance to pick up gifts for her kids who she obviously adores. 

 

I hope she is surprised when she realizes that one of the gifts is for her.  I think she will be.  And I hope that the letter from Santa will extend her belief in the magic of the season and give her strength to keep on keepin’ on. 

 

Note:  I asked if I could share this selfie we took on social media and she said yes.  She is a terrific ambassador for KINDNESS (and for Amazon).    

 

 

Letters to Santa Makes the Washington Post!

I am so happy with an article in the Washington Post that came out today, December 10, 2022. 

The writer, Theresa Vargas, contacted me and asked if she could do a story about the Santa Project. She wrote a piece about the Kindness Yard Sale a couple of years ago, and this is a bit of an update on that if you will. The thing about my Kindness Activist work is that the yard sale is usually what gets the most attention. I get that - I mean, it is quite unconventional. 

But to me, the yard sale is just the fund raiser for the actual WORK that takes place throughout the rest of the year - surprising people with KINDNESS (that is funded by the sale). So, when Theresa asked if she could highlight the Santa Project I was thrilled. She is such a great writer. She is fun to interview with (which is not the case with all authors) - she truly listens and brings out the stories. The Santa Project is my favorite Kindness Activist event of the year. To share it with the world via The Washington Post is an honor. 

 Please read the story - it taps into the essence of the magic that is happening at the Big Yellow House. And, if you are interested in pitching in and fulfilling a child's wish, click the link in the article that says "gift giving project". 

If you cannot access the Amazon Wish List link from the article, go to this link:  Santa Project Wish List

And to read the beautiful article, go to this link:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/12/10/letters-santa-mrs-claus/?fbclid=IwAR1BqeuPFuCSLr_dZTkiAekWIFTwgj7lGysC2vjk1SXDKW6gnr1sx_4T8fo

THANK YOU AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Holiday Kindness

It is the HOLIDAY SEASON!

That can mean different things for different people:  joy, sadness, excitement, grief, stress, magic, depression…  Those are the same emotions that we experience at other times of the year, but somehow when the holidays roll around, they are magnified.  So, this year, I am going to consciously do my best to put KINDNESS in the forefront of my mind as I jump into the holiday season.  Sharing kindness with someone experiencing joy can enhance their joy (which can easily rub off on you!).  Sharing kindness with someone experiencing grief and sadness can shine a small flicker of light into their darkness.  And sharing kindness with people around us who we have no notion of what they are feeling can create ripples of kindness – ripples that will slowly spread to others and extend kindness further and further.

It is in that vein that I share some recent uses of Kindness Activist funds with you.

I love, love, love to surprise people by buying their Christmas tree for them.  We have done this every year since Kindness Activist began, and 2022 could be no exception!  So, I have been looking for someone to spring the Christmas tree surprise on.

But it is tricky!!!  I THOUGHT I found the perfect people in the holiday section at Home Depot one day.  They were pursuing artificial trees – up and down the aisles.  I could tell they were serious and would likely make a purchase on that shopping trip, so I pretended to be looking at holiday decorations, too.  I could tell when they had made their choice, so I strolled around to secretly see which tree it was and check out the price tag.  YIKES – it was over $300!!!  As much as I wanted to treat them, that seemed a bit much, so I kept quiet and left.

On other shopping trips, I saw people looking at trees, but they didn’t seem ready to commit yet.  Some days I stood and waited for someone to come through a check-out line with a tree but came up empty handed.  Ugh!

But I think those fails were meant to be, because when we finally found the people to treat, it was obvious that they were the exact right family for this kind surprise.  My partner David and I were in Bellevue, Nebraska on our 23^rd wedding anniversary.  Before going out to a fancy meal, I said, “Let’s stop at Walmart and see if we can treat someone to a Christmas tree!” (because nothing says “romantic anniversary event” than a trip to Walmart, right???). 

Welcome to Walmart

We walked around a bit, then started watching a sweet family with 3 kids and 4 adults.  One by one, each child chose a toy from a shelf, quietly walked it over to the shopping cart, and were told by an adult that they could not get it and needed to go put it back.  The youngest girl was especially sad that she couldn’t get the Barbie she coveted. 

We saw the mom stroll into the Christmas tree section and quietly followed her, pretending to be looking for our own tree.  As I “looked”, David went back to ask who we thought was the dad of the family if they were going to buy a tree that night.  But the man said he didn’t understand English, and David returned to me without the info. 

No matter, it quickly became clear that the mom was in the market for a tree and had indeed decided on one.  She had looked up and down the aisle at all of the options – big and small – and was ready to put a smaller, cheap tree ($69) in her cart when I spoke up.  “Excuse me – are you going to buy that Christmas tree?” I asked.  She smiled and told me yes.  “Well, we would like to treat you to a tree.  I saw you looking at those, too,” I said, gesturing to the more expensive ones.  “Would you like a bigger one?  Do you have space for one??  We can spend up to $200 on your tree”.

Her eyes lit up as she asked if this was true, were we actually going to buy their tree???  When I assured her it was true, she began to cry and a smile covered her whole face.  We looked together and she chose a beautiful, pre-lit tree that was $189. 

She and I walked back to the rest of the family and she explained to them (in French) what was happening.  They all smiled.  I told the kids that we had seen they had chosen toys earlier, and they should each go grab the toy and put it back in the cart for us to get.  That plan didn’t go as I had envisioned…  Instead of grabbing the toys they had previously picked and been told they couldn’t get, they grabbed big, fancy, very expensive things (the biggest being the whole display of LOL dolls that the littlest child really thought was a “set” and she “needed” 😊 ).  In the end I talked them down – each girl got a Barbie, and the boy got a small gumball machine and a little candy item. 

One of the things I loved most about the experience was what one of the little girls said as we were doing self-check out.  David and I had been shopping and talking with the family for about 20 minutes at that point, and the little girl looked up at me, eyes wide, and said, “Wait…  Are you WITH us???”.  It was beautiful.

What made the kindness even more special is that 2 of the adults were visiting Omaha from Cote d’Ivoire.  They got to witness a totally random interaction that showed them a good side of America.  It wasn’t the gun violence seen on tv.  It wasn’t the car crashes or reality tv shows or political fighting.  It was KINDNESS – seen firsthand.  And it was lovely.  Perfect way to spend our anniversary.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $222.33

 

The next use of funds retold here is not related to holidays that roll around in December, but one that happened in October – Halloween.  I love Halloween, which makes perfect sense because I love giving gifts!  And Halloween is a whole night of giving – giving TREATS to kids who ring the doorbell!! 

A sibling duo – pre-teen sister and small brother – have been visiting the Little Yellow Free Pantry daily for the last couple of months.  I think they are relatively new to the neighborhood.  The girl is very talkative and enjoys engaging.  The first time I met them at the pantry she explained that their mom has enough money to buy them food, but not enough for snacks.  Thus began a daily stop (or two) at the pantry for chips, dried fruit, crackers, nuts, juice, candy…  The kids are very respectful – always say thank you and take only what they need (though I have had to work very hard to keep the young boy from throwing his snack packages on the ground…).  Sweetly, the girl takes time to look through the whole pantry (not just the snack section) and sometimes finds items that she takes home for the family – cake mixes, cereal, pasta sauce…  Her maturity level at such a young age (helping to provide for the family) is amazing. 

October 30^th I asked (without thinking) what they were going to dress up as for Halloween.  “We don’t have costumes,” she told me, “But we will go trick-or-treating anyway”.  As someone who loves dressing up and seeing kids dressed up, this revelation hurt my heart.  “What would you like to dress up as???” I asked.  She wanted some sort of fairy outfit, he wanted a specific color Transformer.  “Done!” I naively thought.  I explained that I had beautiful light up fairy wings I would loan her, and we would run to the store to grab the Transformer costume.

Ok now…  Not only do we not have kids, but we also never buy store bought costumes for ourselves, we make them.  So, I had not thought ahead to the fact that showing up in the costume aisle at Target around 7:00 pm the night before Halloween was a recipe for disaster.  The costume section was a MESS – everything was thrown into one aisle, many bits and pieces lie on the floor, and everything was very picked over.  As you might suspect, the color of Transformer the little boy had requested was impossible to find.  But hey – there was a SPIDERMAN in his size, and the chest even LIT UP!!!  Bingo!!

The tale doesn’t have the storybook ending that I would like it to so that we could wrap it up with a perfect little bow.  The girl picked up the costumes too late to bring them to school.  They didn’t dress up in them and parade down to our house on Halloween night to show us how cool they looked.  And in fact, the girl didn’t return the wings when she had promised she would (causing me to do a lot of self-reflection, the wings were not the issue (I don’t need light up fairy wings really, now do I???  It was more about my feelings being hurt that a promise was not kept). 

In the end, my wings came back undamaged.  We saw the little boy in his Spiderman suit out taking a walk and stopping at the pantry on a random day (the costume had gone through the wash, so no longer lit up).  And the kindness had made the kids happy.  And really – that’s all we can hope for, right?

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $25.97

 

A local elementary school counselor contacted me last year to ask if Kindness Activist could help pitch in so that they could supply some families at the school with Thanksgiving meals.  It seemed like a perfect use of funds, so of course we donated.   We wanted to help again this year, so we gave the school $250 to help buy food to put together turkeys and side dishes for 11 families.  Thankful to be able to help.

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $250

 

I was contacted by a counselor at a local school saying that they had a mom of four students at the school who had just had a baby and was in need of a diaper bag and breast pump.  It is nice when asks are so specific – that makes granting them easy! 

Photo of the robe gifted to the mom (from the website, not the mom wearing it)

I shopped online and found a cozy robe for mamma, clothing and pacifier holders for baby, coloring books, colored pencils, paper, crayons, and books for big brothers and sisters.  Then, hoping to make Kindness Activist money stretch further by not buying the other items, I put an ask out into the community, and they did the rest…

We were overwhelmed with replies!!  More than one breast pump arrived (in excellent condition).  Beautiful diaper bag.  More baby clothing.  A diaper changing mat.  A car mirror!!!  Everything the new mamma and her baby needed.

These are examples of kindness that I love – when a whole community gets behind a mission.  Inspiring!

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $194.24

 

I consider it such an honor to be entrusted with the Kindness Activist funds, and am always on the lookout for new, creative, responsible and diverse ways to use them.  So, when I saw someone online asking if anyone had a juicer (she was looking for the exact same inexpensive but effective juicer we have), I knew it was a good fit!!

This was a simple gift – a quick act of kindness (order juicer, run to store to grab some oranges to go with it, and deliver to recipient).  These small acts of kindness go a long way to spread sunshine and happiness in the world!

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $35.01

 

That's the current report.  More news about how Kindness Activist funds are used coming soon.  Until then - may the holiday season find you healthy, feeling loved, and on the look-out for kindness.

World Kindness Day (Kindness Yard Sale Accounting Report)

Happy World Kindness Day!

Part of me wishes that there wasn’t a “special day” set aside for kindness around the world, that instead, it was an everyday occurrence.  But I guess if we have Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, National Donut Day and all of the rest – we should have a day set aside to think about kindness, too! 

I celebrated World Kindness Day in a few different ways.

First – instead of the “poll of the day” that I put out daily on our corner, I put out a small box with paper and writing instruments inside.  Where the poll usually goes, I put a note explaining that it is World Kindness Day, and asking people to write a note explaining something kind they have done and leave it in the box.  Two people participated (I do not know who).  Of course, I wish more would have been curious and brave enough to stop and get involved, but on a very cold Sunday, two is a good turn-out.  They wrote:

-         “If you read this, please be good with your inner child and be happy“

and

-         “Working on my health.  Trying to be kind to myself!  Note:  Happy Holidays!”

And actually, now that I examine the notes, I think they both have the same handwriting.  That means only one person was curious and brave enough to stop and participate.  Thank you, whoever you are!  I am very thankful that you joined in.

Another thing I did in honor of World Kindness Day was buy 10 big holiday tins of popcorn to hand out.  You know the ones – the trio of white popcorn, caramel, and cheese.  Yummy!  We had to go to 4 or 5 different stores to find them, but Target to the rescue! 

My plan was to hand them out randomly to people stopped at the red light in front of our house.  But…  By the time we finished everything else we had planned for the day and got home for popcorn time, it was dark.  And very cold.

But I would not let that stop us!!  (I say “I” because I think my partner David would have preferred if I said, “Ya know, let’s just extend World Kindness Day into tomorrow, when it is warmer and sunny…”)  Nope!  We stood out in the dark and gave away 10 big popcorn tins. 

That sounds like an easy task, but it was not!!  First – not a lot of traffic tonight.  Second – did I mention it was dark out??  Third – see above, really cold!  And fourth – well, let’s just say that not everyone was excited about the popcorn as I was!!  😊 

People.  Are.  Suspicious.  And rightfully so, I guess.  I mean, this is a dangerous world sometimes.  So, when a woman in a stocking cap and pink fluffy vest walks up to your car window smiling, waving, and holding a tin of popcorn up – some people choose to not engage.  They behave in several different ways:  pretend you are not there (eyes firmly glued to the stoplight ahead of them), look and shake their head “no” even though they have no idea what the question is, LOCK THEIR DOORS (click!) as you stand on the sidewalk waving (awwwk-ward!), or crack their window open to listen to your spiel then say a quiet, “No thank you”.  Oh, there was also the guy that David approached who said, “I am an atheist”.  Hahahaha – ooookkkkk….  But we aren’t offering you a religious item here, sir!  It’s popcorn. Also, the last time I checked, kindness was agnostic and not in the least bit religious.

But SOME PEOPLE – the fun ones, the lucky ones – THEY GET INTO IT!  They might be suspicious at first, but when they roll down their window and hear, “Hi!!!  It is WORLD KINDNESS DAY!  To celebrate, we are handing out popcorn!  It is really tasty – 3 flavors – regular, cheese, and caramel!  This is for you!  Happy World Kindness Day!!” – when they hear that – they SMILE BACK at you!  They might say, “Really???” or “Wait, huh???”.  But when you explain it again, they reach for the popcorn and thank you genuinely.  They smile and wave as they drive away.  Yeah, those people rock.

I really liked giving the popcorn tins to two bus drivers.  They were so happy!  One was so willing to let us board his bus and chat that he sat parked at the light through a while light cycle, trapping the cars behind him.  It is a miracle no one honked.  We also gave one to a bus rider who was sitting up front – he was happy, too!

On the bus

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $116.49

Another kind action we did today was give a neighbor something that she had wished for in a neighborhood chat.  She asked for a juicer, and the photo she showed of the one she hoped for is the exact same one we have.  I took that as a sign!  We delivered her the juicer and a big bag of oranges tonight.  I bet she has a fresh cup of OJ with her breakfast tomorrow!

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $35.01

We are expecting our first hard freeze this week, so we picked all the remaining vegetables from the garden today.  While we were in a grocery store later (hunting for the popcorn tins…), I saw a big table of fresh produce that was on sale for $1 a bag!  And it looked as pretty as the produce we had just picked out of our garden!!  So, I grabbed 2 bags – 4 yellow peppers, 2 tomatoes, a red onion, and a container of mushrooms – for the Little Yellow Pantry.  Fresh produce is always appreciated by visitors because it is usually so expensive to buy at the store!

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $2.05

That’s it for this update.  More to come!