Sometimes at this time of year, we get all wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the season and we forget what Christmas is really about. But, it’s not just Christmas. Many religious groups celebrate this time of year. Whether it be Hanukkah, Kwanza or any other religious holiday, the season is about celebration and love.
Tonight, my Guides and Pathfinders went to McMaster Children’s Hospital to do some carolling for the kids who will be spending the holidays there. We spoke with our girls prior to the visit and talked about what they might see while we were there. They all seemed very open to the fact that there could be a wide variety of treatments happening. We made a craft to give each child that visited us – a little winter toque for their holiday décor – and prepared about 10 popular holiday songs to sing.
The hospital staff was very open and excited to have us visit and prepared the lounge for us to perform. We had several patients and families join us for our performance and we even had a couple of the older kids join in the singing.
It was amazing to see the faces warm up to our totally off-key and sometimes way too fast singing. Something so simple brought such joy to these kids. At the end of our time, the staff all thanked us for coming. We even had several of the patients’ parents come up to thank the girls too, which I think made our girls’ night.
But what made it all worth it was hearing our girls say ‘thank you’ for bringing them to the hospital to sing for the ‘sick kids.’ They all agreed that this was probably one of the best gifts we could give to people we don’t know and it made them feel good to help out.
I say to my girls and fellow Guiders, job well done! We set out to teach our girls that the season is about more than gifts and possessions and I think we accomplished that tonight.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Kwanza and Happy Holidays! May the spirit of the season burn bright in your hearts today and all the year through.
By guest blogger Stephanie Nash. Mother of 3 and Guider with the 2nd Mount Hope Guides & Pathfinders. This post originally appeared on Stephanie’s Life of a Twingle Gal blog. Don’t forget to read Stephanie’s other posts for GirlGuidesCANBlog: First Camp of the Season, Monday Musings about Guiding (on a Wednesday), Uniform Swapping, and A Totally Awesome Campfire.
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