<p>This year, I have tried to maintain my attitude of gratitude. I have tried to focus on turning my complaints into positives, to find the good things I can say about hosting. </p>

Maybe this year, you can add another tradition to your holidays. Let’s work on spreading the message of the holidays in new ways this year, starting with kindness.

Octavia would meet someone new and want to draw them a picture or “make them a card.” When kindergarten started, the bus driver was the first recipient to whom my bubbly 5-year-old presented her with a piece of paper with crunchy, brown leaves taped to it.

Fact: College is not cheap. The thought of our kids having considerable debt in their early adult years is not pleasant. So, why not start preparing now?

So what can we do to help kids learn kindness?  What can we do to make sure they are being kind even when others aren’t looking?  I tried to put together some resources to help you.

We expect our children to have good manners, and we also try to emphasize gratitude. It can be absolutely exhausting. But I believe it takes a village, so I asked for advice from the masses on Facebook.

Practical. That would be a word to describe my husband and me and our gift-giving to each other.  Neither one of us splurges or goes all out for a Christmas, birthday, or Valentine’s gift.  We get what we need all year, so we sometimes don’t exchange more than a card!  If you are like me, or even if you aren’t, and go big, here is a practical gift that gives all year long!

I believe that most people would love to serve those in need in our community. But where to start? How do you know that it would be a right fit for you? How can you help out with your busy schedule? Can you bring your family?

Unfortunately, we all live in the real world (and not in a Hallmark Channel movie) where sometimes kids get sick, roads get slick, and moms get stressed. Big time. The best way I’ve found to keep pre-Christmas anxiety in check is to avoid these four ways we moms tend to ruin the holidays:

The annual Red Kettle Campaign goes a long way toward making sure families in need can still have a merry Christmas, says Robert J. Mueller, the Salvation Army’s greater Green Bay area coordinator. “As less fortunate families struggle to keep food on the table and roofs over their heads, we believe coming alongside these families during this time of year will matter.”