Jesus said - Day 21

3 Nephi 13: 1-4

Verily, verily, I say that I would that ye should do alms unto the poor; but take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father who is in heaven.  Therefore, when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.  Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward.  But when thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; That thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.  

One of my favorite things about Christmas time is the giving.  Especially anonymous giving.  I'm a big fan of it.  I've done some, I've received some, and I've helped others pull off their secret giving.  I've enjoyed giving and giving and watching the joy that the unexpected gives.  Giving feels so good!  I'm always so impressed by those who give who don't have much to give, yet give anyway.  Here are some examples I saw this year.

• I'm aware of a family that saved all their coins and gave them in a quart bottle (like the book The Christmas Jar) to another family where the father was out of work
• I'm aware of a family who gave another family who didn't have much to spend on Christmas gifts an extra $100 and a gift card for a night out
• I know of a husband and wife who traveled to Asia and spent their Christmas helping those less fortunate
• I'm aware of a aged widow who gave some money to two foreign students who couldn't go home for Christmas so that they could buy themselves a Christmas gift
• I'm aware of a family who on Christmas eve, go around to the various fire stations and carol to the firemen there who have to work that night
• I'm aware of a man who took a list of needed items from a homeless shelter and bought all the items on the list for a unknown man who needed basic clothing and a sleeping bag
• I've heard stories of lots of people donating to the #Lighttheworld vending machines on Temple Square to help people locally and internationally
• I know of a family who sent another family who had lost their father, a box of fun items to open every day before Christmas

The list could go on.  We open up our wallets and we open up our hearts.  Let's keep the #lighttheworld campaign going all year round.