The $100 Christmas

Josh and I were given a task by Josh's mom. We were given $100 to give away. I would like to post the report we wrote for the family on Christmas Eve.

Josh and Jessica decided to do a “Pay it Forward” idea. We were given an unexpected gift, so we decided to repeat the idea. We split the $100 into 20 $5.00 and placed each bill in a Christmas card with the following note:

One of the great things about Christmas is receiving the unexpected gift. Mrs. Clause (CCP) wants you to share your good fortune with others. We would like to donate this $5.00 worth of good cheer to you and your cause. May it be received with happiness and joy. May you spread the Christmas spirit with others.

We went to Valley Fair mall and placed the Christmas cards in various locations and sat back and watched the fun. Here are a few examples of what we witnessed.

First, we sat at the entrance and placed a card (closed) on the floor. We waited and waited while one person after another walked right past it without giving it a second glance. 18 minutes went by. A new tactic was needed. If a plain, old card wouldn’t make someone stop and pick it up maybe the sight of cold, hard cash would. We opened the card up so the $5 bill was showing. Then 3 minutes later we had a hit. A family of 4 walked by and took the card and money with them! Success!

Josh liked watching Jessica step out of her comfort zone. Josh liked doing it together with Jessica. He liked watching the smiles on her face and everyone’s faces.

Next, we relocated to the food court so that we could have a little more foot traffic. This was a much better spot. The first time Jessica tried to lay down a card, a Poly man saw her, picked it up and tracked her down. He tried to give it back, and she said, “no, keep it, it’s for you.” He looked at her in confusion, “But there’s five bucks in there!” She tried to convince him again, “I know. Keep it. Merry Christmas.” She kept walking toward Josh and he was left with the card in his hand, still very confused.

We saw many varied reactions. Some would pick up the card and keep walking. Others would pick it up, read it, look around and, smile. These were my favorite to watch. One person took the bill out and held it the light to see if it were real. And then there were the people who looked at it on the floor and kept right on walking. These kind baffled me. Like when Josh laid down a card and two senores picked it up. They immediately laid it on the countertop of a nearby kiosk. Josh bolted after them to try to convince them that they were now the proud recipients of a $5 bill. It took a lot of persuasion. They just didn’t believe that the $5 was for them. How interesting that some people don’t feel like they are deserving of others’ gifts.

Then there were reactions that we didn’t get to see, like when Jessica taped one to a bathroom stall door. Or when Jessica gave one to a little girl, whose parents were busy with a sales clerk. The girl tried to get the attention of her dad by jumping up and down, patting his arm and repeating his name.

Other cards were handed directly to specific people. An elderly couple sat down at our food court table and became interested at our little project. They watched as card after card was laid on the floor. They smiled and enjoyed being a part of our random act of kindness. As we got up to leave, Jessica handed them a card and wished them a merry Christmas. Time started winding down and we needed to meet Jessica’s parents for lunch. On the way to Bajio, we stopped at a stoplight next to an out of state car. Jessica handed him a card through the window. He read it and gave us a thumbs up sign. The last card involved Jessica’s mom and dad, grandma, and Bailey (her neice). At first Bailey begged for the money, “give it to me” “can I have it” etc. We explained what we were doing and that we can’t give it to her because she asked for it. As a group we decided to put the last card near the door of Bajio, and we let Bailey place it. When someone picked it up, Jessica asked her how she felt about it. When she told us, we said “now that is a $5 feeling, worth more than the original $5.”

Thanks Mom for inspiring us and giving us a chance to share. We had a fantastic time with our $100.00 Christmas. What is a hundred bucks anyway? Not much to some, and much more to others. After brainstorming here and there for the last couple of weeks we came up with a beautiful plan. $5.00 worth of Christmas cheer was spread to couples, teens, and kids. Our little notes drew smiles from everyone that we shared with. 20 plus people were directly affected with the cash. Many, many more were privy to witnessing our plan in action. We even got a couple of pictures that will go down in the chronicles of the Peterson Family Christmas History. We tried to be as anonymous as possible; in some cases it didn't work. It sure was fun.

This $100 challenge made me think, ponder, pray, share, connect, and live. Emotions of frustration, anxiety, and inadequacy were challenged, fought and overcome. I had a wonderful time sharing with my wife what I feel is the true meaning of Christmas. Here are my top ten highlights of the event.

1) Feeling inspired about our plan of action.
2) Watching my wife worry about giving a card to a stranger...her being reluctant and overcoming that feeling.
3) Watching 3 different janitors pick up their bounty.
4) Sharing our challenge with strangers and family members who were wondering, "What is going on?"
5) Crisp clean $5 bills...sweet.
6) People thanking us for the unexpected gift.
7) Jess' idea of taping a card to the bathroom stall.
8) Watching so many people step over or around something of value.
9) Putting Mom's (CCP) initials in our little note...for a little personal flare.
10) Getting rid of 20 of about 2000 cards

Life is good pass it on.