This post is sponsored by Amazon, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
December is such a busy time of year. It can be so easy to get caught up in the hustle of the holiday season and forget what is really important. While I love all of the commercial things of Christmas, it is always taking the time to do service that makes it to the top of my list of favorite Christmas memories. If I can teach my kids just one thing, it would be how important it is to really see the people around us and what they need. It can be so easy to see all of the needs around you and just throw your hands up. There will be always so much that can be done, but what is really important is to do the little things that can make a great impact. They can change the world in ways that we will never know.
Each December we participate in a “30 ways small ways to change the world in 30 days” challenge. Each member of our family promises to do a random act of kindness every day. The acts of kindness can be for someone in our family, our neighborhood or even a complete stranger. Anything that they think will make someone’s day better and inspire them to pay it forward with another small act. In the end, all of those small acts add up! Like shopping at Smile.Amazon.com and selecting a charity to receive a portion of the purchase price of eligible orders.
As part of our “30 ways small ways to change the world in 30 days,” this year we are really focusing on giving thanks as we give back. I created these cute little notes to go with a treat that we can take to friends, teachers, neighbors, and our local police and fire station.
Thanks For Changing Lives (You Deserve A Treat)
You will need:
- the printable (at the end of the post)
- a plastic bag
- a stapler
- $1 in change or a small treat
This printable is perfect for just about anyone in your community. We love to give this treat to police officers, firemen, librarians, and our crossing guards. We like to fill the bag with change as a pun on “changing lives” but a small treat works great too! Add your treat to the bag and then staple the note to the top!
You Rock!
You will need:
- the printable
- rocks
- paint
- small treats
- a plastic bag
- stapler
This printable is the perfect way to get in touch with your artistic side and paint with your kids. Paint kindness rocks, colorful rocks with phrases on them such as be kind, you are worth it or don’t worry, be happy. You can leave the rocks in places for people to find or put them in a plastic bag with a treat and staple the printable to the top and drop them off to neighbors and friends.
Thank You For All You Do
You will need:
- the printable (at the end of the post)
- a plastic bag
- a stapler
- a small treat
This printable is pretty generic, making it easy to give to just about anyone. We love filling bags with a treat and handing these out to cashiers at the grocery store, tellers at the bank and neighbors.
We Donut Know What We Would Do Without You
You will need:
- the printable
- a box of donuts
- tape
This printable is perfect for a group. Simply attach it to a box of donuts and drop it off at the police or fire station! It is perfect for the break room at your work or if you want to give these to individual people, you can purchase individual packages of donuts!
Thank You For Changing The Lives Of Your Students
You will need:
- the printable (at the end of the post)
- a plastic bag
- a stapler
- $1 in change or a small treat
This printable is perfect for anyone who works in your school. The principal, office workers and teachers all deserve a treat. This is another one where we like to fill the bag with change as a pun on “changing lives” but a small treat works great too! Add your treat to the bag and then staple the note to the top!
Donating with AmazonSmile
These small treats can make someone’s whole day. Another simple change you can make that has a big impact is your shopping routine.. Instead of shopping at Amazon.com, shop at Smile.Amazon.com and Amazon will donate to a charity of your choice with every eligible purchase you make.
To get started, go to smile.amazon.com and hit the get started button. AmazonSmile lets you donate in three separate ways. When you shop with AmazonSmile they donate a portion of the purchase price of eligible products to a charity of your choosing with no fees or extra cost! You can also find products at AmazonSmile Charity Lists and order them to be delivered directly to the organization. We often do this with our local foster care shelter. They need diapers and wipes so badly and Amazon makes it easy to donate. You can also donate directly through Alexa. All you have to say is “Alexa, I want to make a donation” to any Alexa enabled device!
There are over 1 million charities on Amazon Smile, all you have to do is say yes, and pick a charity.
You can scroll through the list of Charities, pick one of the spotlight charities or type the name or location of the charity you are looking for.
Find a charity that you are passionate about and select it. The charity’s page will give you a little bit of background about the charity so you can feel good about what you are supporting. In our house, we support Operation Underground Railroad. I feel strongly about their cause and how they are changing the world one trafficking victim at a time. In the past five years, O.U.R. has rescued more than 3,000 victims and sent 1,600 traffickers to jail. Now that is something I want to support and I can with just a URL change.
Just make sure that every time you shop it says AmazonSmile in the corner and the orange supporting under the search bar. That is how you know you are on the right page and you are supporting your favorite cause.
How will you Deliver Smiles with Amazon this season? Share in the comments or with #DeliveringSmiles.
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