Celebrate the Gift of Nothing

What is the gift of nothing?  It’s a gift of love and time shared.  More than presents, it’s presence.  And it’s about creating heartfelt memories while making the gift and in gifting it.  It’s a wonderful, fun way to celebrate the true meaning of the holidays, and to bring out the child in all of us.  I’m glad Mooch thought of it.

—Patrick McDonnell, September 2018

Each year we celebrate The Gift of Nothing Day on the first Saturday after Christmas. This year it will be on December 29, 2018. If you are a teacher or principal who would like to introduce The Gift of Nothing Day at your school, there are lots of ways to participate. Below are just a few ideas to get you started.

• Decorate individual boxes of “nothing.” Ask each student to provide an empty box (any size, shape, or color will work). Fill a table with spare gift wrap, stickers, ribbon, markers, tape, construction paper, and other crafty goodies, and encourage students to decorate their boxes however they please! You may also want to host a fun brainstorming session in which the children decide to whom they’ll give their boxes — and what kind of “nothings” they want to fill them with.

• Decorate one big box of “nothing.” Get a box. A big one. Wrap the outside with holiday paper. Ask your students to fill it with messages of love, or with suggestions about ways to enjoy The Gift of Nothing Day with friends and family.

• Create a collage. Download The Gift Of Nothing Day coloring page. Make a bunch of copies. Pass them around to your students, and ask them to decorate their own Gift of Nothing pictures using crayons and markers. Then, create a fun collage by hanging them in your classroom or hallway!

• Tell your own story. Looking for a fun creative writing lesson? Allow your students to tell their own Gift of Nothing stories, using Patrick’s book as inspiration. Perhaps they’d like to tell a version of the tale that revolves around different fictional characters, or is written from a family member’s point of view. (Or for a journaling activity, they may want to describe a memory from their own lives in which they spent a special day with a loved one.)

• Put on a play. Help your students act out the story from The Gift of Nothing book.

Have other ideas you’d like to share? Planning to celebrate The Gift of Nothing Day with your own students or family? Email us at blog@mutts.com to share your thoughts.

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