With all of the madness of the Christmas season I wanted to pause and have a lesson on remembering that giving is more important than receiving. We can easily focus on our Christmas wish list, but it’s also good to reflect on what we are thankful for and how we can give to others. This life lesson was turned into a writing assignment for my class.
Supplies Needed: Inflatable Christmas Tree Cooler Christmas Gift Boxes Christmas Colored Shuttle Pens 
First we brainstormed as a class, listing who we are thankful for in our life. Then we narrowed it down to one person, and wrote a thoughtful paragraph on how we can help them or a gift we can give them. We talked about how gifts don't always have to have a dollar amount, they can also be a thoughtful act of service. 
The students wrote their paragraph on white paper and got to use a Christmas Shuttle Pen. They were SO EXCITED to write with something other than pencils, and it really encouraged them to use their best printing. (I will give the pens to my students as a Christmas present this year!) 
We placed our paragraph inside the box and we placed it in the inflatable Christmas tree. This 3D bulletin board is a visual reminder that it is more important to give gifts than to receive them! Our class is going to make ornaments for our families, and we will place them in the boxes to go home as well as the paragraph they wrote! 
Merry Christmas!
