Mercy believes that ‘Our greatest blessing is to see others blessed’. During the stress and commotion of the holidays we sometimes forget what the season is all about. Every since I was a child I have loved giving. It’s just something that’s been inside of me for as long as I remember. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always loved receiving gifts, who doesn’t? but my biggest gift has always been watching others be blessed and doing little thoughtful things that people don’t expect.
One thing I think people tend to forget during the holiday season is that it doesn’t take a lot to make other’s happy. Simple, thoughtful actions can make all the difference. A lot of people are under a big amount of self-created stress. Especially when it comes to picking out gifts for others or cooking the holiday dinner for their entire family. People have the deep seated need for others to like & appreciate them. Sometimes to the point that they put far too much pressure on something that should remain simple and fun. The holidays are truly not about what gift you give or if everything is “perfect”. It’s about family. It’s about tradition. It’s about love, generosity, and caring.
Giving doesn’t necessarily have to be monetary in nature. There are a ton of ways to give to those all around you. Even strangers. Here are a few things I encourage you to do next time you are out and about this holiday season.
- Smile at a stranger.
- Hold the door open for someone
- If you see someone drop something, help them pick it up
- Start a conversation – but don’t brag (the holidays can be very lonely for some)
- Send out real, paper Christmas cards. Everyone loves receiving mail.
- Bring over a plate of cookies or other goodies to an elderly neighbor or someone you know is without family.
- Let someone else have the better parking spot (It’s a good way to walk off the extra lbs you might gain during the holidays!)
- Compliment someone on something others might not notice (Their smile, their hair)
- Do something completely anonymous for someone
- Offer to bring a dish to the holiday dinner.
- Better than bringing a dish? Offer to help clean up without being asked.
- Give gift cards that give back, such as globalgiving.org They might be skeptical at first but they’ll thank you for it later.
Helping others will bring not only a smile to someone else’s face, but to your own heart as well.
Share A Blessing
Now think about all those blessings you have in your life, no matter how big or small they are. Then I want you to go to www.ourblessingscount.com and share one of those blessings with the rest of the world. Mercy has created this beautiful website without a lot of hubbub of the season, just a quiet reminder to count the blessings we have and to share them with each other.
When you’re done make sure to click on the gently falling snowflakes to read blessings that other’s have shared! You just may find the one I left. I think most of you know by now my biggest blessings in life are my 3 wonderful children.
Go on now, check it out. It will get you in the true holiday spirit. Trust me on this!
Mercy recognizes the stress we put on ourselves and our families over the holidays. They want to remind us that ‘Our greatest blessing is to see others blessed.’ One way we can do this is to pause, list our blessings, and share them with others. Let’s count our blessings together at www.ourblessingscount.com.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Mercy. The opinions and text are all mine.
