The Christmas Wreaths - The One Year Daily Acts of Kindness Devotional

The Christmas Wreaths

Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone.

Galatians 6:10

When I was a child, every winter my family would load up our car and make the eight-hour trek to my grandparents’ house in North Dakota to celebrate Christmas. My parents would have spent the previous couple of months making wreaths that they would sell to make extra money for Christmas presents and travel. One year, my parents had a surplus of wreaths that, although beautiful, just hadn’t sold.

As we packed up our car that year, my dad decided to bring the extra wreaths with us, believing God would show us what to do with them. We arrived at my grandparents’ house, and while enjoying the days leading up to Christmas, we had conversations about what to do with the wreaths. Finally, someone suggested we distribute them to the residents of the local nursing home, and my parents readily agreed.

When we walked through the doors later that evening, I watched as my dad explained to the staff what we were doing, and they smiled and nodded, agreeing that it was a great idea. We went from room to room, my dad knocking on the doors, greeting each resident, saying “Merry Christmas,” and offering a wreath to hang on the door. Many thanks were offered and jokes and merriment were shared as we slowly made our way around the home. As we neared the end, my dad wiped tears from his eyes as he told me of a few residents who said it was the only gift they’d receive that year. This became a distinct memory for me of what kindness toward others can do not only for the person receiving the kindness but for the giver as well.

We are encouraged that whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, looking for opportunities throughout our days to extend goodness and kindness to others. On the surface this may seem easy, but it takes intention on our part to notice needs and look for ways to use what we may already have, even something like extra wreaths, to be a blessing to someone else.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Give something away that you have an extra of.