How To Have An Amazing Holiday!

There is no question that consumerism has made a significant impact on the spirit of the holidays, but how memorable have your holidays really been?

With the goal of creating a more meaningful holiday season, Barry Adelman and I created a five-step program called Angels on the Streets. Years ago we both introduced the program in our companies and the results were remarkable as our employees went searching for people to help. The stories of the lives they touched will always be deeply etched in our memories.

The beauty of the Angels process is that it can be experienced by families, friends, and businesses alike.

So, here are the five simple steps to creating a most memorable Holiday Season.

Step One Organize a family/business meeting and show the YouTube video called “A Secret Gift: An Introduction” that the CBS Sunday Morning Show filmed in Canton, Ohio in 2010. You will learn about A Secret Gift, a book written by Ted Gup, which provides an excellent look back in time to the devastation that the Great Depression had on Canton, Ohio in 1933 and the charitable gesture made anonymously by one man. This story is the inspiration for Angels on the Streets.

Step Two Figure out the amount of money you can afford to give away in your own Angels program. Hand each member of your family or business an envelope with your chosen amount of cash. This decision is up to you. Angels had been successful with $10, $100, and everything in between. I really do not think the amount is all that important.

Step Three Explain the rules of engagement: Each participant must find someone they deem in need of hope to give the envelope to, and to wish them a wonderful Holiday Season. It’s that simple. “Angels” have given envelopes to a young mother in a checkout line, an elderly person waiting at a bus stop, and a shopper at a community food bank. Other Angels have chosen people they know who are in need. The possibilities are endless. Younger children will need help with selecting a candidate, which in itself can provide a great learning experience.

Step Four When the family or business get together to celebrate, make storytelling about everyones’ experience a priority! Before you exchange gifts, be prepared to tell who you gave the envelope to, why, and what, if anything, happened. Film and record everyone’s story and have plenty of tissues available.

Step Five Please send me your comments, results, and videos. They may show up on this website.

Have a healthy, happy, and meaningful holiday season.

We hope that you will join us in giving to our community this way.

Our goal is to collectively, along with the help of other companies,  infuse $100,000 into the community to help individuals and families in great need during the Holidays this year.

Please join us and give back to the community.

Andrew Siegel