Point to Ponder:
Where does spreading hope, love and joy fall into your Christmas festivities?
by Neissa Brown Springmann
Each year and upon entering the Christmas season I always set out to be more intentional and purposeful than in the previous years. Inevitably, my goals are always the same: don’t overspend, stick to the Christmas list, avoid perfection, resist shopping for myself while I am shopping for others (how does that always happen?!), and most importantly to live outside of myself by giving and sharing the spirit and meaning of Christmas: to spread hope, love and joy.
I cringe to think how extra self-centered my holidays would be without my attempted annual goals. Frustratingly, I always spend more money that desired, I get caught up in materialism and commercialism, and I exhaust myself by trying to make everything perfect which in turn stresses me out! Shamefully, beyond my immediate family members, friends and neighbors there is very little thinking outside of myself, no extra sharing of love, hope and joy and therefore no additional lives impacted. Really, it’s nauseating that I live in this perpetual state of insanity (setting the same goal and taking no additional action yet expecting a different result), therefore to end this ridiculousness and attempt to really spread hope, love and joy and make a difference in at least one life during the Christmas season, I’ve come up with a plan of action entitled “Operation Spread Hope, Love and Joy”, and I hope you will join me!
The goal of Operation Spread Hope, Love and Joy is exactly as it sounds: to spread hope, love and joy by putting a smile on someone’s face, being a source of encouragement and light and continuing to express gratitude which will in turn positively impact lives.
Starting today and throughout the next four weeks leading up to Christmas I will announce the weekly action. For this week, the suggested action is to print the provided note card printable, cut out the individual notes and give to as many people as possible. If you are like me, you will experience some fear and hesitation when handing out the cards, especially to a total stranger. You may likely make an assumption that the potential recipient isn’t going through anything, doesn’t need a pick-me-up and/or will think you are weird. Repeat these words: Nonsense! Everyone is going through something, everyone can use a little light and iGnite in their lives and if spreading some hope, love and joy by means of positive note cards make us weird, I gladly welcome the label! After all, the worst thing that can happen is the card gets thrown in the trash, but what if it makes somebody else’s life better?
Finally, share how you are spreading your hope, love and joy note cards by posting pictures via your favoritie social media outlets, using the hashtag #spreadhopeloveandjoy and tagging iGnite. This is not at all to be braggadocious or draw attention to your or iGnite’s actions. Instead, it’s an opportunity to let social media do what I believe social media has the greatest potential in doing, which is to be a catalyst for uplifting messages, positive change and spreading good around the world.
Action Item:
Print the provided note card printable, cut out the individual notes and give to as many people as possible. If you are able, share how you are spreading your hope, love and joy note cards by posting pictures via your favorite social media outlets, using the hashtag #spreadhopeloveandjoy and tagging iGnite.
You May Also Like:
“My favorite tradition is waking up with my family on Christmas morning, staying in our pajamas, and slowly opening gifts around the Christmas tree while A Christmas Story plays 24/7 on TBS. We enjoy each other’s company and don’t feel the need to rush to the kitchen to prepare for our lunch. I love the simplicity of it!”
“Starting after Thanksgiving, before bedtime we all sit together as a family and watch a Christmas show. We like to stick to classics like, “Frosty”, Santa Claus is coming to town”, Charlie Brown….etc.”
“Every year the week before Christmas we have a BIG birthday party to celebrate my triplets, who were born on December 17th. They turn 26 this year! Now that they are all working it has become hard to gather everyone, but it is always a fun party when we finally get them all in town. I still remember their first Christmas — WOW what a whirlwind! Love my girls!”
“The very word ‘tradition’ makes me a little anxious, and at my ripe age of ‘I’ll-never-tell’, I am finally okay with that. The reason that I cringe upon hearing that word — especially at this time of year — is because, well…here goes — Brandy Milk Punch. At Christmas. Every year. In the morning. When I was a kid. Now I am not saying that one shouldn’t imbibe at Christmas in the loving presence of favorite and not-so-favorite people — grab that glass and drink! I’m just saying that as an adult-in-training, my traditions instruction was a little…shaky. But I get it now, after years of toiling and trying so hard to create my own sparkly family traditions, after being blessed with two very different boys and a husband who sometimes worked holidays. My childhood training was actually very spot-on! My parents — unintentionally with the Brandy Milk Punch thing — taught me to be adaptable. To embrace the “what is” and move with it. So with that recent epiphany, I now love that our family tradition at Christmas is this — we are untraditionally together. In some form, in some fashion, we are together. Not forced or contrived, but spontaneous, real and in the moment that is ours. For a short while maybe, and maybe not on Christmas Day. Maybe the Tuesday before. Maybe throwing the football, maybe having hot chocolate. And it’s all good. We love each other, and we are lovingly together in a different way, every single year…our favorite tradition!”
“There is a recipe for a Buttermilk Coffee Cake that is OHHHH so tasty and has been a Younkman family favorite for three generations. We make this coffee cake throughout the year and always at Christmas. The great thing is, Steve (who doesn’t cook) is in charge of making the cakes. It has become his “trademark recipe” along with his homemade caramels that he also makes at Christmas time. Every year right after Thanksgiving Steve will ask me, “Did you get the pans for the coffee cakes yet?” He then sets aside a day where he mass produces them, along with our help. We then distribute them to neighbors and friends. For 32 years we have made coffee cakes and this year will be especially memorable as we honor Steve’s recently deceased Mom who made many a coffee cake in her day!”
“Our family’s favorite Christmas traditions include: the kids lighting the candles of our Advent wreath and reading the verses behind the doors on their advent calendars every evening during Advent; Laney performing in Dance Discovery’s “The Nutcracker” at the Trail of Lights; Selling Christmas cards and baked goods made by my kids for donations to support Beyond Batten Disease Foundation at our church’s Alternative Gift Market; and the highlight of the Christmas season for my family is our church’s Christmas Eve candle light worship service and impromptu children’s nativity, in which all the kids, dressed as the characters from the Christmas story, act it out, while our pastor tells the story and the congregation sings Christmas hymns.”
Black monogrammed hand towels/wash cloths are my new favorite gift! I use one every day after taking make-up off. You NEVER have a dirty hand towel because the mascara, etc. does not show! I have all white towels in all of my bathrooms in my home, but have a monogrammed make-up towel on the top of them for my daughters and guests to use. “Make Up” is monogrammed on them. You ALWAYS have white towels then! These are also perfect high school and college graduation gifts if you just need a gift and don’t want to spend a fortune on them. I am having some monogrammed for my daughters to use in their apartments and putting them in their stockings! You can get black hand towels/wash cloths at Bed Bath and Beyond for $2 to $4 and have them monogrammed and get them back pronto!
Right now I am loving the Nike Sport hair bands They come in many different and fun colors and the best part, which is why I like them so much and want to give them, is they do not lose their elasticity. The other fun hair ties I have used are super cute, but I can’t run, jump or do anything active without my ponytail coming loose and my hair getting in my face, which is a total drag. Thankfully, Nike has solved my “active lifestyle ponytail dilemma” , and when wrapped around your hair you can’t see the Nike or swoosh sign. (four pack = $10 or a bit cheaper on Amazon)
the iGnite blog 