#4) Practice acts of kindness. When did you recently selflessly help someone?

Gosh, my mom recently spent 9 days in the hospital and I was there for her every day but one. The day I missed was when my new granddaughter was born and I was in the labor room with my daughter. I almost feel like ALL I have been doing lately is helping others! And as I had mentioned before, I'm not always totally selfless about it. It wears me down after awhile and I come to appreciate little unexpected respites... for example, yesterday after our Christmas party at work, we were "dismissed" early for the day and I had two hours of time absolutely ALONE at home. I can't begin to express how nice that was!

Other recent acts of kindness: I bought an overpriced Christmas decoration from a lady at work because it was something her daughter had made, and the daughter is really down on her luck and trying to make ends meet so that she can buy some Christmas presents for her small children.

After my husband cleaned out his closet, I took a load of warm clothing including jackets, hats, gloves and ski bibs to the Loaves and Fishes Ministry downtown for distribution to homeless men in Macon.

I bought our Christmas dinner, a Boston Butt, from a local Boy Scout troop fundraiser.

I'm considering starting a tradition with my new granddaughter Aubree in which each December we will selected a needy child's name from a Salvation Army Christmas tree at the mall and fulfill that child's Christmas wishes. I can't wait until my granddaughter is old enough to do this with me every year!

My husband and I dropped by a co-worker's apartment after work one night to help her assemble a new vaccuum cleaner she had bought but couldn't put together. She's newly divorced, having problems with her teenage son, and this is her first Christmas as a single parent. She understandably gets frustrated when she can't figure out something like the vaccuum cleaner, and she was really grateful for the assistance.

I try to do small things to help where I can. By doing so, it makes me feel good and helps MY Christmas season merry!