One of our family goals for 2015 is to love our neighbors well. In our old neighborhood, it was really easy. We lived in our old house for six years- we knew our neighbors so well that Lola and Malone called Meme and Pepe and Grammie. Our old neighborhood was very neighborhoody- I could set my watch by the way people came by walking their dogs and pushing their strollers.

Preschool Digital Camera

Malone took this photo from his bedroom window at our old house.

Our new place is awesome, we love being here. And we’re living in community with another family, which blesses our socks off. What kid doesn’t want to live in the same building as their best friend? It is every little kid’s dream come true! At our new place, we live on a busy road and park in the driveway. So it makes getting to know our neighbors much harder! In fact, I’m not even sure I’ve seen the people who live across the street come out once.

The holidays are on our mind and this year the kids and I are busy making homemade treats. But, our schedules are insane- between work and church events, December holiday parties with friends and family and the general chaos that working from home brings, our schedules don’t have much margin and it is only December 1.

So this year, instead of skipping our holiday baking completely, I’m using my phone-a-friend lifeline. And that friend’s name is Betty. She lives at Target and just about every other place where groceries are sold. Her last name is Crocker. Betty Crocker. And she’s got cookie mix you can just add a few things to and call them your own.

The kids and I had a blast making cookies to give to our new next door neighbor.

Spread Cheer 1

Spreading Cheer 2

I sent them off to play while the cookies baked. And when they had cooled, Malone helped me package them up in this cute little jar.

Chocolate Chip Cookies In A Mason Jar

Betty Crocker online has an amazing set of free printables you can add to your cookies to #SpreadCheer. Grab them here.

Printables 2

They’ve also got a killer coupon- $.50 off…which a lot of stores will double. Which means you’ll be able to get your cheer on without breaking your wallet. Head here for the coupon.

After the cookies were packaged up, Malone and I headed out to make our delivery. He was bummed we were giving them away, but it opened up a great conversation for us to have about showing others we care for them. Our neighbor loved them so much he asked if he could return the container for a second round. I told him that of course he could. As it turns out, he’s going through quite a bit of junk this holiday season and our cookies were very well received.

Malone spreads cheeer

Just in time for Christmas shopping, I am giving away $20.00 PayPal to TWO winners! !

One Winner will win via this method! Ends 12/30/15. 

Visit Betty Crocker and make your own cookie basket.

  1. Make a​ #SpreadCheer basket and take a photo of the delivery
  2. ​Share it on social media with the hashtag #SpreadCheer and nominate 2 friends by tagging them to #SpreadCheer in their neighborhood.
  3. ​Tag me @acookieb4dinner on socials or link to your #SpreadCheer post to a comment on my blog. 

For an additional way to win, use the entry form below!