Last year, in an effort to be a little more mindful during the holiday season and not let the holidays fly by without enjoying them, I made a Christmas Bucket List.
One of the items on my list was to go Christmas caroling.
My running buddy’s (MRB’s) husband read that post.
He’s a physical therapist at a nursing home, and he arranged for us to sing to the residents at the home where he worked.
Four families and eleven kids participated.
I’ll be honest, it wasn’t the caroling I had in mind.
I had envisioned going door-to-door and surprising my neighbors with a little Christmas cheer.
But it ended up being an incredible night.
This year, MRB’s husband took the bull by the horns and arranged for us to go caroling again.
She had invited a few more families, and she texted me and asked if we were in.
Of course we were.
Our group had grown to seven families and nineteen children.
Both the kids and adults sang their little (and big) hearts out for a group of residents downstairs.
And then we went up and sang to the second floor.
Even though it was about 97 degrees in there, Number 3 got sick, puked in the bathroom and had to leave with my husband, and these two spent the last ten minutes rolling around on the floor and caroling like this:
it was a great night.
What made it even better this year was that MRB and her husband invited us all back to their house afterward.
The kids ate pizza and made ice cream sundaes and changed into their pajamas and had a blast.
The adults ate pizza and drank beer, didn’t change into their pajamas (but that’s an idea for next year) and had a blast.
Last year when I wrote that Christmas Bucket List, there were a few people who gave me a hard time.
Who commented that I was putting pressure on myself.
Well, I disagree.
If it weren’t for that list and MRB”s husband reading it, we never would have gone caroling last year.
We wouldn’t have brought joy to dozens of senior citizens who very rarely see a group of beautiful, innocent, young children smiling and singing and brightening the rooms and hallways of their home.
We wouldn’t have taught our children a lesson about spreading cheer and doing something for others.
About giving back to the community.
It was awesome, and a new tradition has been born.
And it’s getting better every year.
All because a little seed was planted last year on a Christmas bucket list.
The pressure lies with the “have to” with lists. If you make a list and try to do the stuff on it and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t do it….it’s all good. It gives me the warm fuzzies that you guys do the caroling this way. There are so many elderly people in rehab/nursing places that don’t get any visitors….
Awesome lessons for all – little and big! I love this post.
Thank you Gwyneth! We really look forward to this night! Merry Christmas!