’Tis the season indeed. With less than two weeks before Christmas I have a confession to make - I’m not going to miss Mariah Carey or Michael Bublé on December 26th! Please don’t take this the wrong way Mariah or Michael, I have much love for you both, but our Christmas playlist is disproportionally in your favor. Considering our countdown at Cape House started after Halloween, it’s been a long couple of months. What I am looking forward to is a celebration of baby Jesus and my wife’s AMAZING homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, a recent tradition that I look forward to every year: the story of Christmas accompanied by a heavenly bite of fresh baked dough, cinnamon, and icing. If you have had the privilege of experiencing her cinnamon rolls (yes, it is an experience), you know exactly what I’m talking about! I realize with the days leading up to the 25th “anticipation” is what fills the air. In a season mixed with a variety of emotions ranging from hope and joy to anxiety and depression, we are all anticipating something around Christmas. Our approach and our attitude should not be based on a feeling though. If we allow our feelings to dictate our attitude we will inevitably be disappointed or worse, disappoint others. Our attitude should resemble an appreciation of a precious gift we already received on the first Christmas through the birth of Jesus. This year my wife and I wanted to make sure our attitudes were in check so we introduced our daughter to “R.A.C.K.” Rack is a stuffed reindeer that appears every morning with a note on his collar of a Random Act of Christmas Kindness attached. It encourages Addi to be intentional with an act of kindness and provide a little hope and encouragement to someone during the day. It’s a reminder for us as well. The simplicity is beautiful. “Smile at everyone you see today.” “Leave dollar bills in the toy section at the dollar store.” “Return someone’s shopping cart for them at the grocery store.” Nothing complicated. A simple opportunity to focus on others. In the midst of this Christmas season, the frantic countdown, we need to pause and recognize that the greatest act of kindness, a willingness to be sacrificed on a cross for our salvation, began with the birth of a baby in a manger. A humble beginning to the most amazing story ever. It should humble us to do more random acts of kindness for others. Merry Christmas!