‘Boo’ Your Neighbor: A Random Act of Kindness

When we were stationed in Hawaii, we lived in what I will always remember as “the best neighborhood ever.” We lived in military housing and it was a very close-knit community with lots of sweet families. When family would come to visit, they would say it reminded them of a modern-day Mayberry. We moved into our neighborhood during the summer and just in the blink of an eye, Fall had arrived. One day, I woke up to an interesting package on my front door. At the time, I was a new mother to my 4-month-old baby and practically burst into tears at the kindness that was extended to me. The package contained a few things: Halloween candy, a stuffed animal and a fall-scented candle and then 2 pieces of paper. One said, “You’ve been Boo’ed” and the other said, “We’ve Been Boo’ed.” There was a little explanation that I was to hang the “We’ve Been Boo’ed” on our front door and then “Boo” another family with the “You’ve been Boo’ed.” I was so excited and couldn’t wait to “Boo” a neighbor! It really is a fun holiday tradition and you can really do it any time of year-“Gobbled” for Thanksgiving, “Elfed” for Christmas, “Hopped” for Easter, to name a few.

So, where do you start? Here are some simple steps to be on your way to bringing kindness and holiday spirit to your neighborhood:

• Purchase your supplies. Last year I had 3 friends in our neighborhood, so I purchased enough items to make 3 “Boo” Baskets. I would suggest you “Boo” 2 friends to get the spirit going. I bought pumpkin baskets from the dollar section at Target and then grabbed candy corn, Goldfish, and fall-scented candles. I kept all of the supplies under $20! I would also suggest stickers, pens/pencils, mini pumpkins, bubbles, toy figurines, etc. I even heard of friends being “Boo’zed” with mini bottles of wine or liquor! You can’t go wrong with that!
• Find a cute printable.  Pinterest has some great options, but even if you google “Boo Your Neighbor” there will be a plethora of printable images available. We’ve created a printable for you to use! Just click Boo Your Neighbor and print!

• Assemble your “Boo” Baskets. This is the fun part! Have your kids help you assemble your baskets and start thinking about which neighbors you want to “Boo.”
• Deliver your “Boo” Basket. The goal is to keep it a surprise so that they don’t know who boo’ed them. So be sure to be stealthy when you deliver.

I remember walking through our neighborhood and seeing all the “We’ve Been Boo’ed” signs on the front doors and it brought me so much joy. You never know who may be having a rough day, month or year and sometimes it is the little things or just the act of giving that can bring so much joy to someone else. It’s also a great way to help your kids understand giving to others and random acts of kindness! I’m late to the party this year, but I can’t wait to “Boo” my neighbors and bring some fall holiday spirit to the neighborhood. What will you be putting in your “Boo” Baskets?