A chance encounter with a co-worker a few years ago sparked a crazy idea that has grown into a tradition. It began like this...

I asked her what she was doing for the Holidays and she said, "My family has decided we have enough stuff. We're very fortunate so we're going to hand out twenty dollar bills on Christmas Eve."

This is how it all started.

The news this year, more than any other year I can remember, is full of darkness and negativity. It seems our world is going haywire. This really got my brain going about how we could start a wave of love and positivity. Through my social media accounts I'm fortunate enough to have a global audience of amazing people. I'm a firm believer that there is still more good than bad in the world and I'd like to prove it.

Our society has turned the Holiday season into a frenzy of consumerism that brings with it a whole host of negative emotions for a lot of people. More than any other time of the year, the Holidays make people long for loved ones who are no longer here, brings back feelings of regret, it can make people feel like they don't have enough money or things, and like they don't measure up in general.

“"The miracle is this: The more we share the more we have." -- Leonard Nimoy

Your Participation Is Requested.

What I propose, if you can spare it, is to invest $20 in the goodness of humanity. You can use this $20 to help someone you know or a stranger you cross paths with. Pay someone's bill in a restaurant, buy a homeless person a hot meal, or simply hand someone a twenty dollar bill and say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or whichever Holiday Greeting you prefer. It's easy to forget that each of us are fighting a battle every day and, despite appearances, we have no idea what kind of struggles others are going through.

This idea is very simple. It serves a twofold purpose. It may just help renew someone else's faith in the goodness of humanity and, I promise, it will make you feel INCREDIBLE! This simple act will bring you much more joy than anything the $20 could purchase. In fact, it might be the best gift you never get this year. : )

I'm doing it and will report back my results!

If you decide to participate, please share your results by tagging your post with #payitforward. I'll be reposting this a few times per week until Christmas.

Spread the word by RESTEEMING this post or sharing on other social media outlets. Let's start a wave of light to drown out the darkness of this world...or maybe just not to have to think about it for a little while.

Thank you for your interest in my work this year, my readers allow me to keep doing this. May your Holidays be rich with all the things that truly matter.

With Gratitude,

~Eric Vance Walton~

(Gif sourced from Giphy.com)

*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.

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