At Christmas when my granddaughters were little tykes, we made ornaments to give to random people. Wonderful things happened with this experience, hence it became a tradition I wanted to continue with the twins.

The twins at age four are not accomplished artists, so this year we made cards with stencils and stickers. The little ones put love into each card they made. They licked each envelope and stamped the corners with a reindeer. The cards were handed out with Mommy and Daddy. A great family experience.

I had the kids last Thursday. We were making cookies to take to the local firehouse. The firemen know us well as we have visited them since the kids were toddlers. After we picked up one of my older granddaughters, Gabby, we bought a box of ornaments and were off to the mall to hand out gifts.

Gabby picked the people who would receive the ornaments and the twins would take turns handing them out with a “Merry Christmas” greeting. They handed them to all ages and nationalities. They learned not to be afraid to greet others as long as they were with a family adult. They had twenty-four to give and never once complained of being tired.

We were approached by a lady who earlier received a Nolan ornament. She was sitting alone on the bench where we supposed she was waiting for someone. When she reached us she said, “You saved me. I was feeling sad and alone when you came by. Thank you.” The kids hung on every word understanding what a special thing they were doing. I hugged the woman, “You have just given us a gift in return.”

My grandchildren and I will go into the new year ready to begin our project for next Christmas. We are making ornaments out of nature. Gifts from the earth. I hope that my grandchildren are learning to care about people, one person at a time. It the best we can do in this new year of 2017. Happy New Year, friends.