Elf Alliance

Why Halloween?

A long opinion piece … Why I should care about the annual call to obliviate Halloween is definitely tied to my own involvement with the celebration. Even though my enthusiasm for various aspects of the season has waned over the years (and there is much to turn the stomach), I’m a little passionate about it because I host an annual Halloween party for my family’s families each year as my contribution to bringing us all together, as a great big family. We play games, we share fun food, we chat, the kids play, and some of us wear costumes. It’s all innocent, good fun when it works out … and family drama when we have a bad year (but that’s just part of being a family). So, why do I like Halloween?

One of the greatest Christian philosophers of our age (a search of C.S. Lewis on the church website returns dozens of articles where he’s quoted) became famous by writing fantasy books for children that include witches, the demon Tash, dwarves, werewolves, apes, and hags fighting on the side of evil … and Aslan, other lions, beavers, river gods, nymphs, fauns, Father Christmas, and even Bacchus fighting on the side of good. Lewis understood that these mythical creatures and talking animals were nothing but fantasy and used them to tell stories of good and evil that have inspired a multitude of children (and adults) to ponder the ideals of Christianity. Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven and Dragonwatch series are a recent example of the power of this kind of storytelling and are valuable in giving examples to kids of how to act when faced with evils that seem to monumental to deal with.

The move to do away with Halloween, stems from the same urge to do away with fantasy altogether. However, when Jesus told stories that likened people to seeds and weeds, lamps and towns on hills, vineyard workmen, leaven, wedding guests, fish, and sheep … he recognized that our minds were capable of imagining ourselves to be something that we’re not. His main form of teaching the masses were parables (fictional stories) – he only explained the parables to his devoted disciples.

When a child dresses up as a witch or a vampire on Halloween, are they really saying, “I want to grow up to be servant of evil when I grow up”? No, they are acting a roll. They recognize that they are playing the part of something scary, and by doing so, it makes that thing less scary because ultimately they know it isn’t real. Of course, kids dress up as all kinds of ‘good guys’ at Halloween as well. There is very little difference between this and going to or participating in theater (or watching movies). I’ve ‘played’ a number of theatrical roles over the years. I even wrote an opera on the story of Abinadi. When I sang the part of King Noah (a wine-drinking, womanizing, dictator) … was I celebrating his excesses, hoping to become like him, or playing a role?

A number of children’s Halloween films actually teach some great principles. As one example, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” offers an observation on this very subject, recognizing fact from fantasy, when Sally stays by Linus all night waiting for an imaginary Great Pumpkin that never shows. Many people have their Great Pumpkins …

If we’re committed to the idea that our children don’t recognize fantasy from reality, then we need to ban The Chronicles of Narnia, The Wizard of OZ, The Last Unicorn, The Lord of the Rings, and all fairy tales. Yet many of these teach beautiful lessons about life and what it means to be a child of God.

When I was young, yes the candy was great, but the thrill of Halloween was pretending to be something I was not. That included being superman, C3PO, a vampire, a cat, Robin Hood, etc.. I still can’t fly, translate millions of languages, turn into a bat, always land on my feet, and I don’t aspire to rob the rich the give to the poor … but, I believe fantasy and imagination are vital to child’s life and Halloween is just one small way to let kids experience that.

That said, I don’t like horror or gore … kids need to be protected from that … it is harmful in many ways. So, we avoid the Spirit Halloween Store, and any entertainment that crosses that line. However, I don’t believe in ‘protecting’ children from the innocent fantasy side of Halloween.

by Elf Alliance Holidays

Christmas in July Festival Photos

A few photos from the Christmas in July Festival we organized last Saturday … we didn’t have a ton of people come, but we did manage to get 40 cards made (mostly by my Christmas in July Ukulele students and their families, Taavi, Dixie Taylor, and myself). We went to the dollar store yesterday and put them together with a Christmas in July package that we’ll be delivering today to a local care center.

by Arts & Crafts Elf Alliance Kindness Service

Reporting in on 50 Acts of Kindness for my 50th Birthday

Back in April I made a goal to perform 50 acts of kindness in celebration of my 50th birthday. Along the way, I changed a few of the items on the original list. Here are the things I did, and any comments/impressions/things I learned from those acts:

  • Participate in the Neighborhood Spring Clean … this was a lot of fun actually. My wife and son came along and there were enough neighbors participating that we made minutes work of the largest piles of yard debris.
  • Buy a gift card for the next person in line at the checkout … I have to admit, this one was uncomfortable.
  • Make a homemade treat for someone … easy, I love to bake.
  • Post a 5-star review for a small local business you’ve visited … an easy task for a business that deserved it.
  • Make a basket with treats/snacks for the office staff and teachers at school … this was fun to put together.
  • Write a positive review for a book you like … also easy, authors need all the help they can get.
  • Celebrate someone awesome on social media … it was nice to point out someone I think is pretty great.
  • Feed the ducks at the pond … as it was Spring, the ducks weren’t all that interested in our bread. Oh well.
  • Leave “You Rock” rocks on doorsteps … we noticed that some of these stayed on the doorsteps we left them on for a long time. Next time I will not use a sharpie (they fade in the sun), but paint pens.
  • Surprise someone with homemade bread … I hope they liked it (no comment).
  • Let someone go in front of you in line … this was uncomfortable, but I finally found someone who looked like they needed to get going.
  • Help my son with his story stand … we did it! He earned some ‘adventure fund’ money.
  • Donate to the thrift store … we have so much stuff just sitting around gathering dust that this hardly feels like service.
  • Host a campfire sing-along … did it. I’d hoped more people would come, but we had a few.
  • Arrange a hymn tune and post as a freebie on UkulelePlay.com … got it done.
  • Take Grandma on a picnic for the fourth of July … yes, and she really did seem to enjoy getting out into the canyon, even if her mobility makes me worry she’s going to trip and break something … she had my arm all the way to the picnic table though.
  • Plant lavender in the garden for Grandma … this took me a lot longer than I planned, but I finally found some lavender on clearance and was able to buy a bunch of plants.
  • Donate flowers at the care center … dropped off.
  • Help my son with his plant stand … yep, more money for his ‘adventure fund.’
  • Give a free performance for the elderly … did this with my wife and son, including our little play of Daniel in the Lion’s Den. The elders at the two care centers seemed to enjoy it.
  • Leave funny cards with handwritten jokes at a care center … combined this with the above performance.
  • Donate craft packs for the elderly at a care center … ditto.
  • Donate fun books to a care center … ditto ditto.
  • Leave a flowering plant and mysterious card on someone’s doorstep you don’t know … accomplished.
  • Pickup trash in your neighborhood … simple as taking a walk.
  • Pickup trash at the park … we really had to look to find trash at the park in our neighborhood, but we did find a few scraps.
  • Buy a flower for the cashier at the grocery store … I got her a gift card instead of a flower, but her face really lit up when we gave it to her (you could tell it was a rough day).
  • Pickup trash on a trail … again, we really had to look, but in the end we found some and it has made us more aware on subsequent hikes.
  • Send ‘good’ chocolate to a teacher … our son had a great teacher this year, so this was a fun one to do.
  • Spread Kindness Bingo Cards … did it.
  • Leave a single flower on a stranger’s car in the parking lot … done.
  • Donate to the food pantry … easy to pick some things out of storage and drop them off.
  • Make giveaway bags for the homeless and store in car to give out … done.
  • Tape microwave popcorn packets on Red Box … fun.
  • Give a neighbor a garden plant you started … an investment in time, but we were already growing plants for our garden and my son’s plant stand, so this was also easy.
  • Hide a gift card in a book at the library … I found this one to be amusing and spoke to my inner clown as we put it in a book on home economics.
  • Spread a roll of lucky pennies through the parking lot … I’ve never been one to throw money about, so this was pretty fun and my son got a big kick out of helping.
  • Leave a snack pack for the mail carrier … done.
  • Fill a bird feeder … done.
  • Leave bubbles at the park on the benches marked ‘for you’ … another fun one.
  • Make a kindness bingo sheet game to share on ElfAlliance.com … done.
  • Post a free hymn arrangement on Choirworks.com … Brother James Air.
  • Take a care basket to the fire station … done.
  • Take a care basket to the police station … done
  • Leave your server a big tip … honestly, things have been tight, so this one hurt more than felt good, but mission accomplished.
  • Read a book on kindness and share notes … The Rabbit Effect.
  • Read a book on service and share notes … Human Kind.
  • Teach a free Christmas carol class … taught carols for three weeks in July.
  • Organize a free Christmas in July event … it happened.
  • Perform at another assisted living … we did it.

So, what did I learn from all this activity over the last three months?

  • Big goals can be stressful, but I’m glad I followed through (with my family). Some of the time-consuming activities didn’t necessarily bring greater rewards for us or those we tried to serve (only 23 people came to the Christmas in July event we put on for free, but took dozens of hours to prep for – don’t feel bad about it, but I’m not ecstatic over it either).
  • If your budget is tight, service with a high price tag can be really stressful. I didn’t know how much flowers were going to cost when I adopted those items on my list, so I’d suggest being aware of how much a goal is going to cost before committing to it.
  • Dropping things off anonymously can be great or can feel hollow depending on your attitude at the moment. Hopefully all those things boosted someone else’s day, regardless.
  • Surprising people in person where you can see their reaction gives quite the boost, not only to you, but to the person you’re doing something for. While some service is better done anonymously, don’t underestimate the effect a kind face and warm greeting can do for someone.
  • I think giving anonymously is best when you know the person really needs help or a lift and you don’t want them to feel beholden.

Biggest takeaway? ‘Random’ acts of kindness are less-fulfilling all-around than ‘intentional’ acts of kindness. Serving in well-thought-out ways that leverage your greatest strengths are going to have greater impact for those being served and bring you more joy as the one giving service. But, it doesn’t hurt to keep your eyes open and be kind when the opportunity arises.

by Arts & Crafts Books Elf Alliance Family Happiness Health Just for Fun Music Plays Service

Human Kind, a Book Worth Reading

I just finished Human Kind: Changing the World One Small Act At a Time by Brad Aronson. It was both inspiring and heart-wrenching. Inspiring to read dozens of stories about people recognizing a need in the world and then stepping up to fill it. Heart-wrenching because I recognize I’m one person with limited resources, there is so much good to be done, and I wish I could do so much more. Nevertheless, it got me thinking about some things that I can do, and for that I’m really grateful to have read it.

While the book starts with Aronson’s personal story of how people stepped up to help them when his partner and wife Mia is diagnosed with Leukemia, the book goes abroad from their personal story to dive in-depth to the stories of many others who have started non-profits, been mentors and given those in need a reason to celebrate. He likens the work of these marvelous souls to “the Japanese tradition of filling cracks in pottery with gold, which produces something that’s more beautiful than it was before it cracked.”

At the end of each chapter, Aronson gives the audience some ideas of What We Can Do. Some of the ideas are specific and others are more broad.

  • Do something small
  • Do something specific
  • Go all out
  • Schedule reminders to yourself
  • Keep an eye out in your community / Be aware
  • Think like Santa
  • Smile and wave (ex. at pedestrians that need to cross in front of you instead of giving a cursory flick to hurry up)
  • Be sensitive to people’s limitations

Aronson says, “The little things are the big things. When we realize this, we also realize that there are infinite ways to help others.” Ex. One woman began mending clothes for homeless people. Then she got the seamstresses at her church involved and they mend a dozen pieces of clothing/backpacks every week. One recipient of this kindness said, “Everyone appreciates them. They are amazing, great seamstresses, and they care. It’s so nice to be recognized and treated like a person.”

  • Learn to listen better
  • Acknowledge people
  • Share the positive
  • Invest in people
  • Be present
  • Consider your greetings (instead of “How are you?” try “It’s great to see you!”)
  • Pause and listen
  • Engage people in an activity
  • Be yourself

“We can express love, brighten a day and transform lives.” One simple example of this he gives the You Matter Marathon, where you can sign up for 30 free “You Matter” cards to hand out to people (the story behind this project is covered in detail in the book).

  • If you have something nice to say, say it
  • Share your stories
  • Write to people you don’t know
  • Don’t forget to say ‘yes’ to yourself
  • Figure out what you can offer
  • Create opportunities
  • Make it seem easy
  • Help others say ‘yes’ (“Can I come see you?” instead of “Can I come help?”)
  • Show up
  • Be enthusiastic
  • Believe the best
  • Embrace people’s intentions
  • Add ‘yet’ to your vocabulary
  • See the positive

“Celebrating is a choice, and sometimes asking, ‘Why not? is all it takes to create a celebration.” He shares the story of how important it was for one girl to have her birthday celebrated while in a Youth Study Center (Juvenile Hall). “Without the birthday party, I would have either been in prison, dead or strung out.” Instead, she went on to become a social worker and provide that love to other kids in the system. Another story involves a neighborhood who shifted Halloween so one child could celebrate who was going in for brain surgery that could not be postponed.

  • Celebrate every day
  • Start a new holiday
  • Celebrate to raise funds
  • Help a stranger to celebrate
  • Have fun, even in tough times

Each of these bullet points includes specific ideas in the book for implementing these thoughts. In the end, he encourages us to ‘start small’ … ‘start with one person.’

The book includes an appendix ‘Hall of Fame’ for high-impact volunteer opportunities that you can also visit with up-to-date links on his website.

by Books Elf Alliance Service

Writing Holiday Cards for Seniors in Care Centers You Don’t Personally Know

Today, as part of our first ever Christmas in July Festival, we’re kicking off with a service project to make Christmas/Holiday cards for seniors in local care centers. While ideas for decorating simple/cute holiday cards abound, what do you write in a card to someone you don’t know?

In short:

  • Decorate your card simply or elaborately.
  • Write clearly and legibly (avoid cursive and small writing).
  • Don’t write the date to keep it timeless.
  • You might start with “Dear Friend.” The Girl Scouts say, “Even if you don’t know your reader by name, starting with “Dear Friend” will make them feel special and cared for.”
  • Send positive thoughts. What do you hope for your reader right now? Can you share a story that will make them happy? It is recommended to avoid religion and personal views. We don’t know exactly who will receive your letter, so make sure that your note is kind and broad—so that anyone who receives it will feel that it is meant for them.
  • We’ve also experimented personally with writing jokes in cards, and got some great reactions in the past with seniors reading, laughing and immediately sharing the jokes with their friends.
  • Lastly, after sealing the card in an envelope, writing “For You!” on the envelope invoked more than one amused smile and exclamation in our personal trials. Of course, you can also write a holiday greeting, since these are Christmas cards.
  • Lastly, you’re welcome to write your name and return address on the envelope, but don’t expect a reply.

Some Christmas Jokes You Could Use in Your Card

What do you call an obnoxious reindeer? Rude-olph.

What did the stamp say to the Christmas card? Stick with me and we’ll go places!

Why is it getting harder to buy Advent calendars? Their days are numbered!

How do you know when Santa’s around? You can always sense his presents.

What do you call an elf that can sing and dance? Elfis.

Where does Santa keep all his money? At the local snow bank.

What do snowmen eat for breakfast? Frosted Flakes or Ice Crispies.

How do snowmen get around? They ride an icicle!

What is a bird’s favorite Christmas story? The Finch Who Stole Christmas.

What kind of motorcycle does Santa like to ride? A Holly Davidson!

How do sheep wish each other happy holidays? Merry Christmas to ewe.

How does a snowman lose weight? He waits for the weather to get warmer!

What does Mrs. Claus say to Santa when there are clouds in the sky? It looks like rain, deer.

What did one snowman say to the other snowman? Do you smell carrots?

What does Jack Frost like best about school? Snow and tell.

What kind of ball doesn’t bounce? A snowball.

What does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney? Claus-trophobia!

What is a Christmas tree’s favorite candy? Ornamints.

What goes “Oh, Oh, Oh”? Santa walking backwards!

Why does Santa have three gardens? So he can ‘ho ho ho’!

How much did Santa pay for his sleigh? Nothing. It was on the house!

What did Adam say the day before Christmas? “It’s Christmas, Eve!”

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite!

Why does Santa Claus go down the chimney on Christmas Eve? Because it soot’s him.

What is Santa’s favorite pizza? One that’s deep-pan, crisp and even!

What do elves say to Santa when he’s taking attendance? Present.

What do elves call Santa when he’s on holiday at the beach? Sandy Claus

What reindeer game do reindeer play at sleepovers? Truth or deer.

What is Santa’s dogs name? Santa Paws!

What’s every elf’s favorite type of music? Wrap!

What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet? The Christmas alphabet has noel.

What did the gingerbread man put on his bed? A cookie sheet!

What’s Santa Claus’s favorite type of potato chip? Crisp Pringles!

Why does Santa always enter through the chimney? Because it soots him.

Why are Christmas trees so fond of the past? Because the present’s beneath them.

by Arts & Crafts Elf Alliance Service

Refugee Programs through Catholic Community Services

I recently attended a local service fair in Lehi, UT and collected some information from various organizations that are working to do good in the area. Catholic Community Services has a number of opportunities to help refugees who are making the transition to life here in Utah. For those with room in their life for refugee children, they also have a foster care placement program.

Sharehouse

The first of these opportunities is becoming a Sharehouse volunteer. You can sign up for one or more Tuesday or Thursday afternoons to help pick up, sort and organize donations for refugees.

Mentors for Families/Youth & Youth Tutors

To personally get involved with helping refugees, there are opportunities to tutor youth, mentor families and mentor youth. There is a prerecorded orientation that you may watch to learn more about how you can help with these programs. The orientation is also the first step to getting on board as an official CCS volunteer.

Other Opportunities

CCS has a number of other opportunities to serve the homeless and provide food for those in need.

by Elf Alliance Service

Daniel in the Lion’s Den: Additional Materials

We recently went to perform our little version of Daniel in the Lion’s Den for both sets of grandparents and at a couple of care centers (along with some Spring-themed songs). My wife made paper bag LION PUPPETS (we found the design on Pinterest) to hand out to the audience (they got to roar at the appropriate moments – interactivity always makes it more fun for the spectators). We also worked as a family to create some character puppets to help us with our minimally-staged reading of the script. I made a basic template, which my wife then added line art for various costumes and had scanned. After printing them, she colored them in and laminated them; we then added sticks and google eyes. Here is a free download of the “Daniel in the Lion’s Den” line art in a PDF to print and color yourself. Feel free to add hair and skin tones! Ours ended up looking a little like ghosts. 😀 More below …

Also, here is a PDF of the play, if you’re interested in performing it at home, church or care centers:

It was a lot of fun to perform this for family and strangers and the seniors really seemed to enjoy themselves and being lions for a day. 🙂

by Arts & Crafts Elf Alliance Family Just for Fun Plays Service

The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle
The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle

When I was young I had a cub scout leader that led our troop in performing service for the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas where we anonymously left a gift on a family’s doorstep for twelve days. It is a beloved memory that I have often thought back on, so I was excited to find a book that talks about this lovely way of offering Christmas cheer from the perspective of a family of receivers.

The 13th Gift: A True Story of a Christmas Miracle begins with a heart-wrenching situation in which a father has unexpectedly died and his family are celebrating their first Christmas without him. The mother is suffering from depression and is unwilling to engage with the holiday, but thanks to a warm-hearted daughter, a well-meaning sister, and a group of anonymous gift-givers, the family is able to pull out of a downward spiral and rekindle the love of family, friends and Christmas in their home. It isn’t until years later that they discover who their anonymous benefactors were and their larger tradition of doing this annually for someone who had had a rough year.

Without leaving too many spoilers, the first half of the book is not for the faint of heart. It was hard to read and my wife only finished the book after I continued on to the end and let her know that a transformation and miracle was actually coming (hey! it was promised in the title).

We’ve been using the ’12 days’ as a framework for celebrating Christmas in our family for some years, but this book makes me want to turn that outward and use it as a way to give cheer at Christmas in the way I was led to as a young cub scout all those years ago. It makes me wonder how many are out there doing anonymous service with this tradition. Maybe you’ll feel similarly inspired. 🙂

by Books Elf Alliance Service

Play KINDNESS BINGO!

ElfAlliance.com KINDNESS BINGO

Based somewhat on a couple of kindness and service lists I have previously posted, here is a 50-pack of FREE Kindness Bingo sheets (PDF) that you can download. Pick just one for you, or print all 50 randomized sheets and share them with family, friends, neighbors, on community boards, at the library where they put the free community literature, etc.. You can also play KINDNESS BINGO ONLINE for free … click, create your own personalized card and bookmark the link (it will keep track of your progress). Let us know how it goes!!! and good luck getting a bingo!!! You’ll surely be creating your own luck as you go. 🙂

by Elf Alliance

Paper Chain Service Advent Countdown

This service idea is excerpted/paraphrased from the It’s All About Christmas anthology published by Covenant Communications, page 96. First, choose how many days you want to work on your paper chain (12 days of Christmas, 25 days to Christmas day, the whole 31 days of December, etc.). Cut out 1 1/2 inch strips of holiday red paper and holiday green paper (or Christmas scrapbook paper) and write a service or activity on each strip. As you complete each service, tape/glue/staple/etc. each strip as a circle to the chain (alternating colors). Use as a decoration in your home or on your tree.

Some service ideas given by the editors of It’s All About Christmas (with some additions and modifications of my own) include:

  • Make and send Christmas cards to friends and family far away.
  • Write inspiring messages in Christmas card and deliver them to a hospital or nursing home.
  • Make salt dough ornaments for friends/neighbors/relatives/strangers (we’ve done this and it can turn out awesome, but give yourself plenty of time to complete the project).
  • Make and fill a bird feeder.
  • Make and deliver Christmas cookies.
  • Donate to the food pantry.
  • Choose three of your toys to donate to charity (or purchase toys to donate to Toys for Tots).
  • Help someone wrap presents.
  • Take donations to a thrift shop.
  • Give blood.
  • Volunteer at the animal shelter.
  • Volunteer at a St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital event in your community.
  • Volunteer with Meals on Wheels.
  • Play games with residents at a care facility.
  • Do a craft with residents at a care facility.
  • Perform for residents at a care facility.
  • Take holiday treats to the police or fire station.
  • Buy and decorate a small tree to donate to a family in need.
  • Babysit for someone that needs to go Christmas shopping (or host a ‘drop and shop’ activity at a church or community center for people to leave their children at while they shop – movie, craft activity, etc.).

A great way to give service and create a service visual aid for your kids in the form of a decoration. For more services ideas, check out this post on giving kindness for your birthday.

by Elf Alliance Service

50 Acts of Kindness for My 50th Birthday

50th Birthday by creativeandtasty on Flickr

Inspired by a post from kindnessprojectoc, I cobbled together my own kindness checklist to celebrate my 50th birthday coming up in a few days:

  1. Participate in the Neighborhood Spring Clean
  2. Buy a gift card for the next person in line at the checkout
  3. Make a homemade treat for someone
  4. Post a 5-star review for a small local business you’ve visited
  5. Make a basket with treats/snacks for the office staff and teachers at school
  6. Write a positive review for a book you like
  7. Leave a flowering plant and mysterious card on someone’s doorstep you don’t know
  8. Pickup trash in your neighborhood
  9. Buy a flower for the cashier at the grocery store
  10. Leave “You Rock” rocks on doorsteps
  11. Send ‘good’ chocolate to a teacher
  12. Donate fun books to a care center
  13. Make five kindness tear off posters and post on community boards
  14. Leave a single flower on a stranger’s car in the parking lot
  15. Organize a ‘get to know grandma’ night for her grandkids
  16. Donate to the food pantry
  17. Pickup trash on a trail
  18. Make giveaway bags for the homeless and store in car to give out
  19. Tape microwave popcorn packets on Red Box
  20. Give a neighbor a garden plant you started
  21. Hide a gift card in a book at the library
  22. Spread a roll of lucky pennies through the parking lot
  23. Host a campfire sing-along food drive
  24. Leave a snack pack for the mail carrier
  25. Fill a bird feeder
  26. Leave bubbles at the park on the benches marked ‘for you’
  27. Pickup trash at the park
  28. Give a free performance for the elderly
  29. Donate craft packs for the elderly at a care center
  30. Make a kindness bingo sheet game to share on ElfAlliance.com
  31. Arrange a hymn tune and post as a freebie on UkulelePlay.com
  32. Post a free hymn arrangement on Choirworks.com
  33. Help my son with his plant stand
  34. Help my son with his story stand
  35. Take a care basket to the fire station
  36. Take a care basket to the police station
  37. Donate to the thrift store
  38. Plant flowers in the garden for Mom
  39. Let someone go in front of you in line
  40. Offer a free ‘camp song leaders’ music workshop
  41. Leave your server a big tip
  42. Surprise someone with homemade bread
  43. Read a book on kindness and share notes
  44. Read a book on community building and share notes
  45. Celebrate someone awesome on social media
  46. Offer to record something for someone
  47. Feed the ducks at the pond
  48. Leave funny cards with handwritten jokes at a care center
  49. Donate flowers at the hospital
  50. Organize a neighborhood movie & snacks party

I’m going to start working on these this weekend! It was a lot of fun to put together the list and I think it is going to be a lot more fun to carry it out. 🙂

by Elf Alliance Service

Make Someone Laugh

Christmas Fantasy Parade Elves - Photo by Carlos (armadillo444 on flickr)

You may not think of telling a joke as an act of service, but laughing has many physical and emotional benefits. The Mayo Clinic states that laughter can:

  • Stimulate many organs.
  • Activate and relieve your stress response.
  • Soothe tension.
  • Improve your immune system.
  • Relieve pain.
  • Increase personal satisfaction.
  • Improve your mood.

So, next time you want to help someone out, you might start with a joke. Short on jokes? Here are some great (if corny) jokes from the It’s All About Christmas Anthology:

  • What did Adam say the day before Christmas?
    “It’s Christmas, Eve!”
  • What goes OH, OH, OH?
    Santa walking backwards.
  • What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?
    Claus-trophobic.
  • What did one snowman say to the other?
    Can you smell carrot?
  • What did the gingerbread man put on his bed?
    A cookie sheet.

Not quite ready for Christmas jokes? My wife and son have really enjoyed reading books with me from the National Geographic Kids Just Joking series (there are a bunch of these and they’re really reasonably priced, with awesome photography included). They’re the best kid’s joke books we’ve come across, and, as a bonus, include lots of tongue twisters we’ve never seen anywhere else as well.

So whether telling your own jokes, or borrowing from someone else, you can definitely count giving the gift of laughter as an act of love and service.

by Elf Alliance Just for Fun Service

Give Kindness for Your Birthday

I’ve been asked at least 3 times if I was planning anything special for my ‘big five-oh’ birthday coming right up in a few days. Honestly, when first asked, I was at a complete loss; I hadn’t even thought about it. So I did think about, and … NOTHING came to mind. However, thanks to a post that was shared with me today from kindnessprojectoc on Instagram, I now have an idea and I am soooooooooooooooooo excited about it.

She chose 41 one things acts of kindness to complete for her 41st birthday. HOW AWESOME IS THAT? I typed up the list as best I could:

  1. Pay for someone’s groceries
  2. Flowers for Meals on Wheels recipients
  3. Buy someone a birthday cake
  4. Send Venmo surprises
  5. 5-star reviews for small businesses
  6. Treats for Rancho Canada teachers
  7. Make birthday cake for foster kids
  8. Gratitude Dianes giveaway
  9. Pay for a families Christmas tree
  10. Pay for someone at Xclusive
  11. Free flowers for someone you love
  12. Donors Choose coffee cart
  13. Scratch Pies pay it forward
  14. Starbucks card giveaway
  15. Treats for “Zero Trash” volunteers
  16. Neighborhood trash pickup
  17. Treat someone at the movies
  18. Ronald McDonald house dinner
  19. Collect reusable bags for the pantry
  20. Donate food to the food pantry
  21. Donate socks for the homeless
  22. Pay for cakes at Three Dog bakery
  23. Hide scratchers
  24. Tape hot cocoa on Red Box
  25. Thank you notes to clients
  26. Hide a gift card in a book
  27. Hide lucky pennies
  28. Holiday wreath giveaway
  29. Candy collection for Camp Pendleton
  30. Donate costumes to OC Mission
  31. Thanksgiving food drive
  32. Snack bucket for mail carriers
  33. Make birdseed ornaments
  34. Hide happy rocks
  35. Hide quarters in vending machines
  36. ???
  37. Hide bubbles at the park
  38. Pay for someone in drive through
  39. Hand out coupons
  40. Gift ??? drinks
  41. Donate pumpkins to foster …

As you can see, there were a couple of things I couldn’t quite make out. Some items are very specific to organizations and places the poster knows, and some are seasonal (must be a late Fall or Early winter birthday). However, this is an amazing list of ideas to use as a jumping off point to customize for personal use, which is what I plan to do and post on my birthday.

by Elf Alliance Service

‘Act Out’ A Christmas Carol for the Lonely

The very first idea we had for Elf Alliance was to create a short version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that a few people (3-5 or more) could get together, practice a few times and then go present at care centers as a reader’s theater production (or with puppets, projections, flannel boards, fully-acted … as elaborate or as simple as circumstance allows).

My wife, son and I have been reading through a long version that I created some years ago, based directly on Dickens’ original novella. We’ve been cutting it down, revision after revision, until we were able to get it into about 30-minutes without losing any of the key plot points that still make the tale so heart-warming and endearing to us almost two centuries after it was debuted.

After months of work on it, it is finally edited, formatted, covered and published. Here are some details:

  • Scripts are listed at close to publishing cost to make it affordable for service groups.
  • Performance rights are granted for non-ticketed/non-admission service-related showings/readings to perform without royalties.
  • Notes on carols you can sing with the audience at various points in the play are notated in the front matter … a great way to get the audience engaged and participating (plans to add a caroling pack to this site are underway).

So, get your family, church group, friends or community connections together and go ‘cheer the sad of heart’ this holiday season. I’ve performed dozens of times at care centers over the years (mostly music) and I can tell you, the warmth and gratitude you’ll receive in return for your efforts is ample.

Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A Short Play in Five Quick Acts is now available at Amazon.

by Elf Alliance Plays Service

What’s Elf Alliance?

Visit ‘The Impenetrable and Mysterious Alliance of Santa’s Secret Elves‘ to reach out and join hands with others in giving service throughout the holidays and the rest of the year. Elf Alliance and the FB group seek to support community-minded service to both groups (particularly seniors) and individuals (of all stripes) by offering ideas on ways to cheer both friend and stranger through recipes, music, theatrical plays, arts and crafts projects. You can post your own ideas, document your funny failures, and chronicle your spectacular triumphs on the FB group. Join us there now and introduce yourself. 🙂

by Elf Alliance

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” ~ A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Have service ideas, success stories, spectacular fails or glorious triumphs to share? Visit and join The Impenetrable and Mysterious Alliance of Santa's Secret Elves on Facebook or contact thesanta@elfalliance.com ... :-)

Sibling Sites

choirworks.com
ukuleleplay.com