“I have always thought of Christmas Time, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”
Fred Holywell “A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
It has been said that the older we get, the faster life moves. For my part, I have found that to be true. In fact, life is so busy, I am very often forced to focus on what is before me. It is the only way I am able to get everything taken care of.
The problem with our fast-paced lives is that we forget the lives around us. Others become a pool of faces we either recognize or not, but take for granted that they are important and valuable people. Let me be blunt. In the search to care for ourselves, it is too easy to quit caring about others.
The holidays are a great time to stop and remember how special the people in your life are to you. The following activity is a great way to connect with family and friends and let them know they mean something to you.
Your goal is for everyone in your group to write one nice thing about each of the others in your group. The comments are anonymous and can be presented in any form that suits your event.
For my family’s event, I started over a month before Christmas. I gave each person a list of names and asked them to write one nice thing about everyone listed, except themselves of course. Then I took all of the lists and grouped the comments by name. For each person, I found a beautiful font and printed their name at the top of the paper. Below their name I put the meaning of their name and the comments were listed below.
When the sheets were passed out on Christmas Day, it was a simple but beautiful gift.
Below are some samples of what you can do.
Judy
A Hebrew name meaning Woman Worthy of Praise and is short for Judith.
Judy is very sensitive and loving. She is also very crafty and talented. She is always true to her feelings, no matter what they are.
Grammy lets me help her bake cookies, muffins, and cupcakes. Grammy lets me have some stuff from Great Grandma.
She is bold and beautiful. She can speak her mind. Her confidence is strength. She is someone you can trust.
Grammy always makes macaroni and cheese and lets me play on the computer. She makes funny faces.
She makes me laugh with her adult humor and is very loving and sensitive.
She is very organized.
Judy is a very caring person. She is always putting others first. She’s a giver!
Judy is the perfect home maker, she keeps an immaculate home and she’s also a very creative and artistic person, but most important, she took such great care of our mom after Dad was gone, and for that I will always be grateful.
Kelly
An Irish name meaning Warrior Defender.
Kelly is a very dedicated and wonderful mother to her children. She not only takes very good care of their physical needs, but shows them unconditional love and tries her best to be a Godly example to them.
My Mom comforts me when I don’t feel good. My Mom makes me feel safe when I am scared. She likes to color with me.
She pays attention to detail and follows through with her obligations and the activities she undertakes. She has a big heart and is generous to a fault. She is a dedicated wife and mother.
My Mom is cuddly and she likes to play board games. My Mom keeps us healthy. My Mom makes me feel safe.
She is fun, sensitive, sweet and goes the distance for the family. She is very passionate about things.
She is a good homemaker and very organized. She loves her home.
Kelly always says kind things. She is an amazing mother but most of all she is like the sister I always wanted. She is always easy to get along with. She keeps me laughing.
She is a nice person and always loads of fun to be around! An amazing mother!
Kelly always seems very happy and friendly, has a great attitude and is also very sincere. She’s raising two of the best-behaved children I’ve ever seen and makes it look so easy. She’s a great mother and wife, and she’s always comfortable to be around.
Jonathan
A Hebrew name meaning Gracious.
Jonathan is a very responsible, dedicated and loving father, husband and provider for his family. He has always taken these roles with utmost dedication.
He has a great sense of humor. He also has a tremendous amount of love for his family. He is a hard worker and a committed husband.
My Dad plays with me and flies me in the air on his feet. My Dad is the goofiest person I know. I like my dad’s mustache.
Jonathan is a man who is sure of himself and can lead his family confidently and securely. He makes decisions wisely and has a clear sense of the “right” path.
My dad and I have a lot of hobbies together. I like to spend time outside with my dad. I also think my dad is funny.
Nice mustache.
He makes good decisions and choices and sticks with them. He takes good care of his property.
Jonathan is such a goofball, never a dull moment with him. He makes me feel a part of the family!
Jonathan is always full of laughter. He keeps me on my toes. I’m glad he married into the family so I wasn’t alone with all these girls!! Lol
Jonathan is very ambitious in his career. He always seems to be taking a test or class to keep moving up the ladder and I’m very impressed with what he’s accomplished and continues to achieve. He’s also a great husband and father.
Caleb
A Hebrew name meaning Faithful and Brave.
Caleb is an extremely intelligent, caring, talented and honest young man. He is also a very loving brother to his little sister.
He has a kind heart, and truly cares about other people’s feelings. He is sensitive, creative, and intelligent. He has a desire to know Christ on a personal level.
He lets me watch movies in his room. He makes me laugh. He is a good drummer.
Caleb is quick to laugh and always ready with a joke. He is sensitive (his heart is touched easily), sincere (he honestly cares about others), and passionate (he always “gets in to” the things he really likes.
He likes to have fun outside with me and is very good-hearted. He is a smart kid and good at everything he tries.
He is a good imitator in playing characters, versatile and likes to play. He is fun to be around.
Caleb is such a smart and handsome young man. He is very caring and thoughtful. He is very patient with his little sister!
Caleb is a well-behaved kid. He has an awesome heart and will grow up to make his parents proud!
Caleb is such a good boy it makes me want to corrupt him a little with a fart machine. I’ve never seen Caleb do anything wrong, so I’m going to give him some ideas. Seriously, Caleb is incredibly smart, he’s such a great kid, and his parents must be so proud.
Kylee
An Australian and Irish name meaning Pretty.
Kylee is a gentle and loving young lady. She is smart, brave, has good manners, and is nice to everyone.
She is very strong-willed and knows just what she wants. She has a very sweet and cuddly side to her that is irresistible.
Kylee is gentle and sweet and full of the light of love.
She has a funny laugh and says funny things. She is really good at coloring.
She is super silly, hot tempered and very cute.
She likes to play dolls and play house. She likes to be held. She likes to dance.
Kylee is an angel! She is always full of love just like her mother! She is an amazing young lady who will grow into an even more amazing woman!
Kylee is a cute little munchkin! I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful, thoughtful and delightful niece.
Kylee is such a sweet girl; she’ll be your best friend in ten minutes. She’s very smart, like her brother and she’s fun to talk to. I always look forward to seeing her.
Andy
A Greek name meaning Masculine and is short for Andrew meaning Manly and Brave.
Andy is a hard-working, caring, and honest young man with a good sense of responsibility. He is well-liked by many people.
He is funny and carefree at times, yet other times very serious and heartfelt. Everywhere he goes, he makes people laugh.
My Uncle Andy is funny. He is really tall and handsome.
He is sincere and thoughtful and has a heart so big he has yet to understand its depths. He thinks of others and is a man who has taken responsibility for himself.
Uncle Andy does crazy dances and says weird things that make me laugh so hard I can’t breathe.
He is a funny character.
He speaks his mind; he is outspoken in a good way.
Besides the fact that I’m utterly in love with him, there isn’t a mean thing to say about him. He treats me like a queen and more! I couldn’t ask to be in love with someone that is more amazing than my Andrew!
I’ve always liked Andy, but there was a time long ago when I wasn’t so sure how he’d do in the real world. I have to say I’m very impressed with how Andy’s turned out. He’s hard working, responsible and I’m very proud of him. He’ll have to get back to the river with us.
Caryn
A Danish form of the name Karen meaning Loving.
Caryn is a warm, likeable, beautiful and bright young lady who is extremely easy and fun to be around.
Besides being mature and intelligent, Caryn is a dedicated and supportive person. She is a young woman of real worth.
She is very sweet and sensitive, yet strong and can hold her own. She is also very pretty. She can be funny as well.
She is pretty and fun. She tells me sweet things. I think she should marry my Uncle Andy.
She is nice and always gives me encouragement. She is fun to play Wii with. I like her dark hair.
She is nice, easy going and likes to give Andy a hard time.
Caryn is ambitious. She is a very loving and all-around fun girl.
I don’t know Caryn that well, but she seems ambitious with her hair styling business. She always seems happy, friendly and she’s good to Andy. We had a great time with her at the river, so we’re also looking forward for her to come back.
Dave
A Hebrew name meaning Loved is short for David meaning Beloved.
Dave is a hard-working, sensitive, loving and generous man who deserves more time to enjoy life. He has always had a great sense of humor, and although when we were kids it was a bit annoying, as we grew up, he was fun to be around. He’s accomplished a lot in his life, but more than that he has a sincere heart. I wouldn’t want anyone else for my brother. I love him dearly.
He is a hard worker with an easy going, sincere personality. He is enjoyable company. He’s always been more than generous with my family and we appreciate him probably more than he knows.
He is really tall and drives cool cars. He always says nice things to me.
He makes peace easily. He is kind and generous. A real family man and a good business man like his father (He was proud of you and would be proud of you now.).
Uncle Dave is cool and easy-going. He is easy to talk to. He is fun too!
He is a cool guy that is easy to talk to and is hard-working. He is good to my family. I’ve always liked Dave.
He always made me feel comfortable. He is very ambitious in all that he does and I admire him!
Dave does a lot of cool stuff. He always makes sure people have a good time. He is a good uncle and has done a lot of really nice things for me. I always have a great time when I’m with him.
Richard
An English name meaning Wealthy Leader.
Richard is a caring, sincere Christian man who has been a source of spiritual guidance and support to others. He also has the gift of empathy.
He always sees the good in everyone before anything else. He shows much compassion and always gives grace to others.
He taught me how to play baseball. He does puzzles with me. He is funny.
He loves our Lord Jesus and is not afraid to let others know it. He is easy to talk with and always a “warm” person. I have never seen him upset or take offense at a wrong done to him. He is a true witness of Christ.
Grandpa Richard has a lot of fun stuff for me to play with at his house. He likes to tell funny stories. He is goofy.
He looks for the best in everyone and everything. He is fun and outgoing and goes all-out. He loves to talk about Jesus.
Richard is such an amazing person. He always has a wonderful story to tell me and I always look forward to them! I love that he always has something new and exciting to tell me.
He always has something nice to say! He is full of amazing stories!
Richard has always been friendly to me and he frequently visited my mom which I thought was very nice. I don’t know Richard that well, but just knowing that about him makes me think he’s a great guy with a big heart.
I may not know you, but I do know that you are unique and special because God created you.
Have a beautiful and amazing holiday season! May the Lord bless you and fill you with good things.
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