Pay-it-Forward during the Holidays

The holidays are a time for giving and sharing your blessings with others. We have been teaching our children the value of helping people who are less fortunate than them, and working together to find ways to give back. Last week the children made a list of things they wanted to do within the community to help try and make the world a better place.

Stonyfield and Moms LA, had sent us a $50 gift card to do something sweet and show our #sweetitude within the community. The children decided that they wanted to give $1 to 50 different people around Orange County. The people who would receive the dollar, could either keep the dollar for themselves, or use it to pay-it-forward.

It took the children three days to distribute all the money, but they were successful in handing out all 50 $1 bills. Andrew had lost one of his dollars in a gust of wind, and he warmed our hearts by replacing it with one of his dollars from his piggy bank.

We were a little nervous about how people would react when our children would approach them to give them money. A lot of people were a little confused when a little kid walked up to them and opened their wallet, but so happy to hear what they were doing.

Some people cried, some people laughed and everyone left saying, "Merry Christmas!"

My husband I talked about how we would of been so nervous to approach people, and yet our children did it with such grace. They carefully selected who they wanted to approach, even made us pull over to the side of the road near a bus stop to give someone a dollar for their bus fare.

While we were out paying it forward around the community, the children took the last of their piggy bank money and purchased toys for the Toys for Tots toy drive in our community.

We have never been as proud of our children as we have been this holiday season. They have become role models not only to their friends, but to us as well. While my children said their prayers tonight, they prayed that all their dollars help make the world a better place for as many people as possible.

Open up your wallets and open up your hearts to someone special this holiday season.

We were given a $50 gift card from Stonyfield and we used it to pay-it-forward around the community. All our ideas, thoughts and opinions are of our own.