Merry Christmas!
By Shondell Varcianna
December 25, 2015
Lifestyle
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Christmas to me is that time of year to give back and celebrate the birth of Christ. I absolutely love Christmas and often think abut my childhood memories at Christmas time, which are full of joy and wonderful times.
This year is my daughters first Christmas and although she likely won’t remember this Christmas, I still want it to be a great Christmas for her.
This year I thought it would be fun to share some anonymous gift ideas. I love giving anonymously, it’s so much fun and it’s the best feeling in the world when you know you’ve helped someone and they don’t even know it was you.
1. Pay for someones groceries
More and more people seem to be doing this nowadays, but it never gets old. You don’t have to have a lot of money to do this. The next time you’re in a grocery store, check out how much grocery the person behind you has and do a rough estimate of how much you think it will cost. Give the cashier the money and tell her/him to inform the next customer that her groceries have been paid for. Just in case you didn’t give the cashier enough money, tell her/him to deduct the amount you gave from the customers total grocery bill. And if you happen to give more than the customers bill is, you can either tell the cashier to keep it or put it towards the next customers bill.
2. Pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant
Have you ever gone to a restaurant and looked around at other customers? If not, the next time try it. You’ll be amazed at the variety of different people who are there. From couples possibly celebrating a birthday, or an anniversary, to a single person who may be they're catching up on work, to a family with 6 kids, or a single mom just trying to enjoy an evening out with her child. Whatever the case may be, look around and choose someone who you would like to buy a meal for. All you do is call your waiter over and tell them to put that persons bill on your tab(without the customer knowing of course). You can make it fun and tell the waiter to send them a note saying. “Merry Christmas” or “God loves you” or “I just wanted to do something kind for someone today.” Don’t forget to check out their reaction once they find out their meal has been paid. This can totally change your life! Don’t stare too long, you don’t want to give away who paid for their meal.
3. Drop off Christmas gifts at your neighbor's door without them knowing
This would definitely make my day if someone did this for me. Sometimes Christmas isn’t the best time of year for everyone, due to a loss, or something else that could have tragically happened to them during this time of year. Why not brighten up their day by leaving a gift at their door. This could be anything from a gift card to your local grocery store or restaurant. If you know they have kids, you can get them an Old Navy gift card or a bunch of toys. If you have a few extra dollars, you can do this for a few of your neighbors. Don’t forget to put a note with the gift. It could simply say “Merry Christmas.”
4. Pay for an under privileged child to go to camp
If you volunteer or attend a local church or a community center, there is usually some type of camp trip that takes place in the summer. Often times there are kids that want to go, but don’t have the means to go, so they end up missing out. Ask the leaders if there are any children that don’t have the funds to attend camp and offer to pay for a child or two. Tell them not to tell the child that you paid for them. This could change that child’s life.
This year is my daughters first Christmas and although she likely won’t remember this Christmas, I still want it to be a great Christmas for her.
This year I thought it would be fun to share some anonymous gift ideas. I love giving anonymously, it’s so much fun and it’s the best feeling in the world when you know you’ve helped someone and they don’t even know it was you.
1. Pay for someones groceries
More and more people seem to be doing this nowadays, but it never gets old. You don’t have to have a lot of money to do this. The next time you’re in a grocery store, check out how much grocery the person behind you has and do a rough estimate of how much you think it will cost. Give the cashier the money and tell her/him to inform the next customer that her groceries have been paid for. Just in case you didn’t give the cashier enough money, tell her/him to deduct the amount you gave from the customers total grocery bill. And if you happen to give more than the customers bill is, you can either tell the cashier to keep it or put it towards the next customers bill.
2. Pay for someone’s meal at a restaurant
Have you ever gone to a restaurant and looked around at other customers? If not, the next time try it. You’ll be amazed at the variety of different people who are there. From couples possibly celebrating a birthday, or an anniversary, to a single person who may be they're catching up on work, to a family with 6 kids, or a single mom just trying to enjoy an evening out with her child. Whatever the case may be, look around and choose someone who you would like to buy a meal for. All you do is call your waiter over and tell them to put that persons bill on your tab(without the customer knowing of course). You can make it fun and tell the waiter to send them a note saying. “Merry Christmas” or “God loves you” or “I just wanted to do something kind for someone today.” Don’t forget to check out their reaction once they find out their meal has been paid. This can totally change your life! Don’t stare too long, you don’t want to give away who paid for their meal.
3. Drop off Christmas gifts at your neighbor's door without them knowing
This would definitely make my day if someone did this for me. Sometimes Christmas isn’t the best time of year for everyone, due to a loss, or something else that could have tragically happened to them during this time of year. Why not brighten up their day by leaving a gift at their door. This could be anything from a gift card to your local grocery store or restaurant. If you know they have kids, you can get them an Old Navy gift card or a bunch of toys. If you have a few extra dollars, you can do this for a few of your neighbors. Don’t forget to put a note with the gift. It could simply say “Merry Christmas.”
4. Pay for an under privileged child to go to camp
If you volunteer or attend a local church or a community center, there is usually some type of camp trip that takes place in the summer. Often times there are kids that want to go, but don’t have the means to go, so they end up missing out. Ask the leaders if there are any children that don’t have the funds to attend camp and offer to pay for a child or two. Tell them not to tell the child that you paid for them. This could change that child’s life.