Are you ready for the Amazing Kids! Christmas Challenge? If you try it, you’re bound to be kept jolly as well as busy this December. If you don’t try, you never know what would have happened. Can you make it? There’s only one way to find out. Bravely battle the winter blahs by participating in our Christmas Challenge. And be sure hang on tight to your sleigh and get ready for some fun!

Challenge #1: Send your Mayor or County Commissioner a Christmas card!

You may not even know your Mayor or County Commissioner, but they work hard to make your city a nice place. Try writing your County Commissioner, first; they’re usually the most open to public feedback via mail. You might even get a card back! Here are some tips to get your card through. Basically, stick to simple!

·         Send the card as early as possible

·         Don’t send harmful or messy objects (that includes confetti, kids)

·         Be polite

·         Some Mayors only accept emails.

Find out who your Mayor is, here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Lists_of_mayors_of_places_in_the_United_States

You can get their address from their website.

Here’s an example of a card to the Mayor of Albany, NY:

Mayor Gerald D. Jennings
City Hall 
24 Eagle Street, Room 102
Albany, NY  12207

Dear Mayor Jennings,

Merry Christmas! Have a wonderful Christmas with your family, and thank you for serving our Country and Community. I appreciate your hard work to make Albany a good city.

Sincerely,

Jane Doe

Challenge #2: Make some Snowball Cookies for your neighbors.

There’s a great recipe in our Cook Nook section for these http://www.amazing-kids.org/cook_nook: But don’t forget to save some for yourself!

Challenge #3: Send A Shoebox.

Here’s fun Christmas tradition: Sending a shoebox! For some kids, the shoeboxes sent through Operation Christmas Child is the only present they will get that year. The best part? Imaging the smile of your buddy opening the present as you drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve. Learn how to do it, here: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/

Challenge #4: Send eCards.

Get your family into the spirit of Christmas by sending your family ecards. Have a parent help you.

For girls, send a “Winter” e-card from American Girl!

http://www.americangirl.com/ecards/index.php

For boys, send a polar bear or harp seal e-card from Animal Planet!

http://animal.discovery.com/games/ecards/ecards.html

Challenge #5: The Ultimate Christmas Countdown Idea.

There’s 12 days left till Christmas, but who needs a partridge in a pear tree with our neat-o Christmas Countdown? Try each day’s activity!

Day 12: Blow up some red and green balloons and don’t let them touch the floor! See how many you can keep in the air.

Day 11: Media Mania! Read books and watch movies that are all about Christmas.

Day 10: Decorate a gingerbread house.

Day 9: Send something nice to someone who’s sick.

Day 8: Play in the snow! If you don’t have any snow, eat a popsicle, or ice-cream, or just something COLD!

Day 7: Gather up all those old sweaters you don’t use any more and bring them to Goodwill.

Day 6: Take a picture of something wintery outside. If you can’t take a picture, draw one.

Day 5: Write a story or poem and send it to the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine!

Day 4: Play a game with your family.

Day 3: Make sure that you have a present for someone else!

Day 2: Get ready for Christmas by helping your parents cook something, even if it’s PB&J!

Day 1: Drink hot chocolate and listen to Christmas music. Read Twas the Night Before Christmas, the Poem!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Congratulations on finishing the Challenge. Even if you didn’t get to do everything, we hope you had fun with the stuff that you got to do. Remember, this is the holiday about giving. When we give, we get a way better reward than just unwrapping presents; we get the reward of knowing we did something good for someone!

The power of giving is wonderful; we hope you enjoyed the challenge, and that now, visions of the incredible people around the world who were touched by your giving this year will dance in your head, instead of sugar plums, at night. Once again, congratulations; once you’ve completed the challenge, there are many people who will want to thank you for making their Christmas extra holly jolly!