Treat Others and Light the World

This free printable FHE activity is a fun way to combine scripture reading, fun, and service all in one activity. Print out the recipe card, bake cookies, then hand deliver them to family and friends with the free printable Christmas treat tags! Thank you to Mormon.org for sponsoring this post and encouraging me to Light the World this holiday season.  

There are so many things running through my head as I write this post. I wasn’t sure how to express how I’ve been feeling. A couple of weeks ago I found out that the husband of one of my college roommates had been told that his third battle with cancer was going to be his last. And just a few short weeks later, he passed away.

And my heart broke.

I haven’t actually talked to my friend outside of social media for years. I’ve followed their journey as he’s battled cancer over the past 3 1/2 years, but I never got on a plane, I never picked up the phone, and I never showed my friend how much I cared. Instead I watched from afar, prayed in my own bedroom, and I kept hoping that they would feel my love somehow. 

This week The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints launched a campaign called Light the World, focused on serving others this Christmas season like Christ served everyone. To be more like him, to follow his example, and make the world a brighter place as we go.

As I’ve read about Christ and His examples of service, something really hit home for me.

Christ didn’t just pray for people. Christ didn’t say be healed from His bedroom. And if it had been available back in the day, Christ definitely wouldn’t have just talked to people via social media. Christ was there for others. People were healed through their faith, but Christ showed up. He put his hands on people’s heads, He got on the ground and washed people’s feet. He acted. 

Service is more than just a thought. Christ didn’t just say know what I did or read about what I did, He said follow me. And to follow someone, you physically have to get up and act. 

It’s time to follow Him. Because life is way too short to spend time on things that just don’t matter. 

I bought a plane ticket for this weekend; I’m going to see my friend and give her a hug that’s years overdue. And tomorrow, on the annual day of service, I’m going to make cookies with my kiddo and drop them off to our neighbors, because it’s not just about me serving – it’s about teaching my son to follow Christ as well. 

If you need a little inspiration, I’ve put together a printable family night scripture baking activity that you can use to get started. This is something we did in my family when I was young, and I thought it’d be fun to recreate.

Print out the free printable recipe sheet, and as a family, search the scriptures for the missing words to fill in the ingredient list. Use the ingredients to bake cookies as a family then deliver those cookies anonymously to friends and family with the printable “You’ve Been Treated” tags. 

To print the printables, just click on the images below and a PDF will open that you can print. I recommend printing on white cardstock then just cut with scissors. The PDF for the Christmas treat tags includes four to a page sized to fit perfectly inside a quart or gallon sized plastic bag. 

Christmas isn’t about gifts or decorations or time off from work. Let’s put Christ back into Christmas and focus more on giving service than giving gifts. 

Mormon.org has themes and service ideas for all 25 days starting on December 1st to get your started or feel free to come up with your own ideas. Those tend to be the best type of service anyway! The scripture baking activity I shared above would be great for December 6th – Jesus read His scriptures or December 11th – Jesus ministered to the children. Enjoy!