Topic Talk—Happiness Headlines

How Did GNO Gals Mom It Forward This Holiday Season?

We challenged our #GNO community to spread holiday cheer, to Mom It Forward if you will. And now it's time! Time to share with you the ways in which many of you shifted the mood of the news by creating Happiness Headlines this season. We'd like to share with you the funny, the uplifting, the creative, and the kind acts GNO Gals have submitted this month. These women have shown what random acts of kindness look like. Welcome:

• Mara at Mother of All Trips.
• Jen at Mommy Instincts.
• Melissa at Consumer Queen.
• Jenna at Stop Drop and blog.
  

Advent Wreath photo courtesy of Mara at The mother of All Trips.

Mara inspires us with her holiday tradition using an advent wreath. She writes this on her blog The Mother of All Trips.

Advent is the season of waiting and hope, like the end of a pregnancy. I’ve found that focusing on Advent (rather than just Christmas) helps us see what is really special and important about this time of year. Each year the children and I gather dried flowers, branches, leaves, berries, and seed pods and make a wreath. The wreath goes in the middle of the dining room table and every night we light a candle – one the first week, two the second, and so on until the week of Christmas when all of the candles are lit.

On Christmas Eve, I take wreath apart and use it to decorate our nativity set, placing the crèche right in the middle of the dried roses and hydrangeas and holly. Last year the children checked to make sure Jesus was there before they went in to see their presents on Christmas morning.

Mommy Instincts reminds us that the small things in life are what really count. And sprinkles on sugar cookies are one of those things!

I have been little miss Suzy Homemaker this week. Between making my homemade Christmas gifts, making a random apple pie or peach cobbler, and today, making sugar cookies for my young-at-heart husband, who loves to decorate them, I have decided I am going to make up a second batch of cookies and take them over to the Salvation Army guy who rings the bell at the grocery store by my house. They always stand there, in the cold, ringing the bell and saying Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas, and I wonder how many people really respond to them. I mean, I always do, but how many people just walk on by without a second glance.

Consumer Queen shares her two pay it forward plans. She encourages others to join her, spreading the holiday cheer a little further. First she helped out PetsandPeople.com, and then she supported the Oklahoma Baptist Girls Home.



Stop Drop and Blog got herself Elfed! Just look at all the goodies and goodness some secret elf shared with her and her family.

And, so, there you have it. We’ve been elfed. I simply can’t stop grinning about it. I’ve heard rumors that things like this happen but we’ve never been on the receiving end of such a beautiful gesture. (Honestly? I’m getting weepy right now.) The fact that someone took the time to provide a little something for my boys and for FireDad and I (because, let’s face it, we’re going to eat that candy!) is just so touching.

I’m heading out to do some shopping for the family whom we will be elfing this year. I say this year because it is something I’d like to see our family take on every year. We haven’t finalized, just yet, whom we will be surprising with a bag of goodies but we’re excited at the simple idea of making some family smile.

Thanks to today's featured GNO Gals—and everyone that participated in the Happiness Headlines Challenge we have 4 more days of fabulous RAKs to share, we've been enjoying them, and now we are happy to share them!