Secretly Gift a St. Nicholas Basket {An Advent Tradition}

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

I pray you and yours had a lovely feast day.

Here, along with waking to goodies in shoes, reading "virtue letters" from St. Nicholas, and going to Mass, my children and I made time for a long-time family tradition: gifting a neighbor with a St. Nicholas basket!

If you're looking for a fun idea for encouraging secret service and neighborhood cheer, St. Nicholas neighborhood baskets are an easy and enjoyable way to do it!

We first heard about the idea six years ago when I was researching ideas for a St. Nicholas Sensing the Saints Playdate. 

Since then, each year, we cut out paper snowflakes...

... fill a real basket...

...or a homemade paper one...

...with goodies...

... print out The Story of St. Nicholas from the St Nicholas Center website and walk to a neighbor's house...

... to secretly spread St. Nicholas' story.

Some years, we have been delighted to see snowflakes popping up on other doorways in our neighborhood. 

Other years, we are just happy to gift some happiness to whatever family we drop a basket to whether they share forward or not. All years, we enjoy spreading some secret cheer close to home.

Perhaps you and yours will enjoy this tradition, too.

However you choose to spend your St. Nicholas Day, we pray is blessed with love and service.

Saint Nicholas, you were a kind and generous man and a special friend of children. I pray that I may always show my gratitude to people who are good to me. May I return their kindness with love and may I never hesitate to share their care with others. Amen.  

Secretly Give Bread of Baked Goods in Honor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary {FREE Printable}

Sometimes, it is fun to do secret kindnesses for others.

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary's feast day on November 17 is a perfect day for committing such an act. For, just like St. Elizabeth sometimes secretly delivered bread and essentials to the sick and poor around her, we can share with those that we know are facing needs, troubles, or sorrows.

This November 17th, we can remember how St. Elizabeth imitated Christ and saw Him in those she served, looking beyond our own challenges to see how we might recognize and honor Jesus amongst our friends, family, and community members.

Surely you can think of someone who is down on their luck, facing a challenge, or just needs to know they are thought of and loved.

If so, I encourage you to  begin a new annual "secret service" tradition by printing a FREE Remember St Elizabeth of Hungary and Know that You Are Loved printable, pairing it with some bread or baked goods - and anything else you feel inspired to give, and secretly delivering it to the person you are thinking about right now.

Then, each year, choose a new person to secretly make a delivery to on St. Elizabeth of Hungary's feast day - sharing forward her story, her love for service, and her dedication to Our Lord.

If you like this ideas, you might also wish to deliver secret St. Nicholas baskets in December... 

...give Love Buckets on St. Valentine's Day...

...and make Secret Blessing Boxes on St. Teresa of Calcutta's feast day in September.

Random acts of service are a wonderful way to teach young people to honor God and love one another.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary, pray for us.

Serving with the Saints: Make a Blessing Box for Saint Teresa of Calcutta's Feast Day

Got a box? Some art supplies? A friend in need?

Then, might I suggest that you and yours get together to make a blessing box for a friend or family in need as you observe St. Teresa of Calcutta's feast day on September 5?

We did this last year and it was a simple success. 

To begin, I introduced St. Teresa's quote of  "I am in pencil in God's hand" and suggested we write loving messages and draw happy pictures for a friend in need and then fill a "box of blessings" with these messages and more.

The "more" can be anything you think the friend or family in need could use.

In our case, the recipient of our blessing box was a dear family whose youngest child, a baby, had unexpectedly undergone two heart surgeries within a month, rocking the entire family's world.

The family asked for nothing but prayers and well wishes, which, of course, were offered by many. However, as St. Teresa of Calcutta's feast day neared and we thought about in our local circles might need some extra love and help, we all agreed that that family might be buoyed up practical helps along with the prayer power they were already receiving.

Thus, I put word out that anyone in our local homeschool community who would like to make or donate anything to a Blessing Box for them could get it to me right up until the date of our St. Teresa of Calcutta gathering, and, then, at the gathering, we'd put our Blessing Box together, which I would drop off to the family in need.

I encouraged people to offer whatever they could that might bless our friends and let the now they are loved and prayed for and passed along the following Blessing Box filler idea list:

• happy notes and pictures
• spiritual bouquets
• change for vending machines at the hospital
• healthy,nourishing shelf-stable snacks and drinks
• fruits and other nourishing, easy-to-pack-and-eat foods
• gas gift cards
• small baby toys
• fun things for the older sibling to use at home or at the hospital to keep them busy and make them feel special, too - coloring books, not-too-messy-craft kits, books, etc.
• healthy lunch items and afterschool snack items for for the older siblings to make Mom and Dad's lives a little easier
• monetary donations
• food gift cards and gift baskets (with information specific to the hospital policy on gift baskets, gift cards, food vouchers, etc.)

People dropped items off at my home beforehand and others brought things to our gathering, where the children enjoyed decorating and filling the Blessing Box, which we later delivered to the family in need.

The children in that family dug into the box immediately and the Mom was touched and grateful. 

Our mission - to be pencils in God's hand writing messages of love by serving someone close to us in spiritual and practical ways - was met.  

Today, I pass this idea forward with a prayer that it might inspire you and your children to serve within your own community circle, blessing someone close to you.

May you and yours be blessed and bless others, too, as you reach out with simple service!