12 Days of Christmas Service

One of my cherished holiday memories growing up was a service project my family did for the 12 Days of Christmas. My mother who has a knack for making everything seem special and extraordinary made sure we shared that joy with a family in need during the Christmas season.

To focus on the true meaning of Christmas and the spirit of giving our family would choose another family we knew could use a little extra holiday cheer. Based on the popular 12 Days of Christmas song, we would secretly deliver the themed gifts each night, leaving them on the porch or sending a special messenger with the goodies. This service project was always fun and creative for our family, and as a kid the thrill of keeping a secret was magical. Now that my kids are a little older I wanted to carry on this same tradition with my family and focus on the value of giving and serving others, especially during this time of the year.

Over the next few days I’ll be sharing our 12 gift ideas and the clever and fun poems for each day’s gift. We wanted to make sure our special family knew what to expect, so yesterday we delivered this special letter to help explain what’s in store. Download the letter and the gift tags for each day here.