Service Star For Grandchildren

Thanksgiving is over and our thoughts are now focusing on Christmas.

Well, if you are into shopping on Black Friday — which really started Thursday on Thanksgiving! — you’ve already been thinking about Christmas.

And if you are like people in my neck of the woods, you might have put up your Christmas lights and decorations before Thanksgiving.

Argggh!

Grandchildren are beyond the moon excited about what Santa will bring them and what they will get for Christmas. And sometimes, parents are beyond the moon worried about all of the cost of Christmas.

But, Christmas really isn’t about what you get. It’s all about giving. Hopefully by now, fellow grandmothers, you have learned that the true happiness of Christmas is in serving others.

It is our responsibility to help our grandchildren learn about service — about thinking of others instead of themselves.

Here’s a simple thing that you can do to help grandchildren focus on service. Print out My Service Star. (This is a yellow colored star. If you want a plain star outline so you can print on yellow card stock, print out My Service Star non-colored). Sit down with your grandchildren and explain how serving others brings true happiness.

There are two pages of this document. One is for doing service for family members and a blank one for doing service to those besides family members. Older grandchildren can choose to do acts of service for others in their neighborhood.

Brainstorm with your grandchildren a list of ideas of acts of service. Write the ideas down on a piece of paper. Then, have  your grandchild put the star in a visible place in his bedroom so it will remind him to do service throughout the Christmas holiday.

When he does an act of service from his idea list, he writes it down on his star. Challenge your grandchild to see if he can fill the star by Christmas Day with acts of service that he has done for others.

Here are some ideas of service that grandchildren could do for their family members.

• Do the dishes while Mom sits in a comfortable chair listening to Christmas music and reads.
• Make your brother or sister’s bed.
• Clean up a little sibling’s toys in the family room
• Play with a toddler while supper is being fixed.
• Do the laundry for one week.
• Fix supper for the family.
• Give Dad a foot or back rub.
• Clean the bathroom without being asked.
• Make cookies for your family.
• Read a story to a younger sibling.
• Write a thank you note for a family member and tuck it under their pillow.
• Clean the kitty’s litter box without being asked.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ” Rings and jewels are not gifts but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a portion of yourself.”

I hope this idea will spark acts of service — not only at Christmas time — but throughout the coming year for you and your grandchildren.