Don't Forget the Mailman!

My mom has always been good at remembering people who help us throughout the year; people who are typically forgotten. As a kid, we had the best mailman. Our mailbox was attached to our house, so everyday he would walk up to our front door to give us our mail. My sisters and I would listen for him and open the door quickly to catch him before he left. He would tell my mom "My, what handsome boys you have!" or some other silly comment. We looked forward to seeing him everyday. Around Christmas my mom would always make him some sort of baked goods, usually cookies if I'm remembering correctly. She would give him a big ol' plate and he didn't care that he was going to have to lug it around with him. He looked forward to the treats every year. Mom also baked goodies for our mechanic (who we saw often with our 1984 Dodge Ram van that loved to break down...are our many other used cars!), and a few others.

I have always wanted to follow in my mom's footsteps with this, but have only done it a couple of times for a few random people. I don't think I've given to the same person two years in a row yet. This year I'm hoping to change that! Having that giant pumpkin helped motivate me this year. I made a couple batched of pumpkin bread and instead of making loaves, I make cupcakes. That made it easier to give to more people. The batches I made would have made four loaves, but I was able to make a little over fifty cupcakes with the same amount. This is an easy, inexpensive way to show somebody you appreciate them. I bought the little snowflake bags at the Dollar Tree. They came in packs of twenty-five (for $1) and they come with twisty ties. Four cupcakes fit perfectly. For groups of people, loaves or cookies may be easier. 

There are so many people we can give too. Who do you know that makes your life a little easier or someone you just want to bless? Is it your mailman, mechanic, teachers, garbage man, UPS or Fed-Ex person, Pastor, Nursery/Sunday School teachers, co-workers, boss, doctors & staff, etc? Let's bless some people this Christmas season! 

If you do something like this or have found other fun ways to spread some Christmas cheer, I'd love to hear about it. Leave me a comment with your ideas if you care to share. =)

Add Sprinkles before you put them in the over to add a little Christmas flair!

Write a personal note on the Christmas card. You can also tape a packet of hot cocoa to the inside of it "To warm you up when you get home." The cocoa is especially nice for people who work outside in the cold. 

You can make it more fancy if you like, or keep it simple like me. 

You can use Scotch tape to write what kind of goodies are inside as well as secure the ribbon to the bag.