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Naughty and Nice

Because of some of the crazy things going on in my life, I moved four times in 20 months. By the way, I don’t recommend it. Moving is not only stressful but it’s expensive, especially if you have to do it last-minute, are going a considerable distance, and you must hire help because you are no longer able to lift a couch by yourself. My advice if you do have to move and want to keep your budget in tact is to plan in advance, do some downsizing, line up some pickup trucks and/or trailers, and get friends and family to help.

No, this blog isn’t about moving and the costs associated with it, but it does relate to my topic, I promise.

My most recent move was the week before Thanksgiving, so I am in a brand new (to me) neighborhood. I do have one close friend in my neighborhood, but I don't yet know many others. Then there's the fact that I don’t have a big budget for neighbor gifts, but I DO have access to my own Neighborhood Discovery Hunt (and so do you!). My friend and I are working on said Hunt together and it’s called, ahem, “Neighborhood Naughty and Nice.” (Ha ha, right?)

For very little monetary and hourly exertion, we have a virtual game that we can share with everybody in our area that is not only social-distance friendly, but fun, unique, and engaging.

The thing is, with the 2021 holiday season becoming “Covid Christmas–Round Two,” many of us probably wouldn’t recognize our own neighbors even if we haven’t relocated every five months on average. I mean, do you even remember what your neighbors look like? Would you be able to identify one of their kids if they knocked on your door? That reminds me, one of the missions in “my Discovery Hunt” is ♪♫ ♪ Who's Child is This? ♪♫ ♪ (get the title? I crack myself up sometimes) and my neighbors get to identify a picture–online safety standards applied, of course–of a child in the neighborhood. Another one that I cannot quit giggling about is ♪♫ ♪ Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree ♪♫ ♪ where I ask my neighbors to share a short video clip of them acting out this jammin' holiday tune.  

These Hunts can be so fun, but they also help build community. ♪♫ ♪ Do You Know Who I Know? ♪♫ ♪ can help you get to know who might have moved into your neighborhood. With the mission ♪♫ ♪ Neighbor Did You Know? ♪♫ ♪  we just might learn about a new baby (well, Corona HAS been hanging around longer than 9 months) or other equally interesting surprise in someone's family. 

And personalizing a Hunt is super easy. The mission’s we’re creating invite neighbors to go through our neighborhood and look for the Gnome Home, a Moose on the Loose, and Frosty's Family. 

Anyway, what I’m trying to say is you don’t have to spend a lot of money to move into a new neighborhood to get to know yours again. Send each neighbor a personalized message with the mission ♪♫ ♪ Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas ♪♫ ♪. You won't have to break the bank to do it, either. Connect/reconnect with your neighbors and give them an experience they will never forget.


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