Welcome back to day 2 of the series “5 Days of Serving Others through the Holidays!”

Every day this week we are exploring a different way to celebrate Christmas. As a matter of fact, I’m turning Christmas around by suggesting ways to gift those around you with something that most likely won’t cost you a cent!

I’m proposing ways to gift those around you with acts of service (if you’re familiar with Gary Chapman’s book “The Five Love Languages“, you’ll know what I mean).

During the course of the week, we’ll help each other discover ways to serve:

• Monday – our spouse
• Tuesday – our family
• Wednesday – our church
• Thursday – our community
• Friday – the world at large!

Serving Others During the Holidays – Your Family

Yesterday we talked about serving your spouse, today we’re moving on to serving the rest of your family: the kids.

Now, wait, wait, before you start in on “But I already serve them!”, let me explain. The kind of service we’re talking about today isn’t your run-of-the-mill home-maintenance stuff. We’re talking the kind of service that speaks to the heart. The kind of service that says “I like you” more than “I love you” – know what I mean?

Here are a few simple ways to get started serving your family:

• Think quality and quantity. Set up a regular date time – and stick to it!
• Put together a stash of his favorite drinks and/or snacks. Pull something out for an unexpected treat.
• Write a letter, an actual pen-and-paper letter, telling them a funny story, or tale from your childhood, or how you feel about her.
• Cover his chores during finals week.
• How ’bout fixing her breakfast in bed?
• Keep your eyes on the clearance rack where your kids like to shop – and pick up some jeans or a new shirt or jacket “just because”…
• Next time he’s around on a Friday night, suggest a movie night (either at home or at the cinema) and let him pick out the show. Your treat 😉

And, of course, we’d love to hear your neat ideas in the comments – so share away! Don’t forget to check back each day this week for more ideas on giving the gift of service this Christmas…