Pardon my many-months-long blogging absence (and my obsessive overuse of hyphens) for a Not-Necessarily-Toy-Related-But-Still-Worthy Holiday Announcement … and for those looking to spread some Holiday Kindness and Cheer, this article is for you!

Before you groan about yet-another ‘event’ to excuse yourself from, hear me out – you don’t actually have to attend, send money, or sign up for anything.

Intrigued?  Carry on, then!

First, a brief summary – last December, my family and some friends spent a few hours one evening doing 26 Holiday Acts of Random Kindness (or H.A.R.K.) in honor of the names and memories of the individuals lost in the Sandy Hook tragedy.  It was an awesome night, filled with tingly heartwarming deeds and frantic do-gooder fun, and we had dozens of friends and family all over the country join us in doing these acts of kindness in their own communities.  It was amazing to see the reactions and responses from the recipients of these deeds, so we decided to make it an annual tradition.  And now I’m inviting you.

ALL OF YOU!

H.A.R.K. Night 2013

We invite any and all of you to join us this Saturday, Dec 14th, around 5:00 pm.  We are planning to venture out into our local community and spread holiday cheer by doing random good deeds and anonymous acts of kindness … BUT the great thing is, you don’t have to actually attend in-person to participate.  You don’t have to live in the same city, the same state, or even the same country.  The AFi community extends to the far reaches of the US and beyond, so I’m hoping all you AFInsiders can help me spread the spirit of the season far and wide.

You can organize your own local H.A.R.K. gathering, or you can send this idea out to family and friends across the country, as we did last year.  You can donate some toys to charity, drop off some comic books at your local children’s hospital, or simply do a single kind deed for someone anonymously.  Maybe you’ll even feel like forgiving Digital River this year … the key is to spread holiday cheer to a weary world that can be at times lacking in simple kindness.  (And Castle Greyskull, apparently).

Yes, the idea is silly and corny and maybe even a little embarrassing.

But it’s also fun.  Trust me.

Invite your family, your friends, those crazy relatives, that cute coworker, the obnoxious guy on your softball team, those awkward bronies from the local comic shop, that one grumpy neighbor that hates the holidays … I dare you to try some of the deeds suggested below in the comments and not feel your Grinch heart grow three sizes when you see the wonderful responses from the strangers you encounter.  It may even restore your faith in Humanity a little.  And who here doesn’t want to play the hero?

For more details, please visit the H.A.R.K. Event page on facebook. There you can get some creative and inexpensive ideas, ogle the guest list, or just straight-up mock me.

I hope you’ll join us for H.A.R.K. Night!  And have a MerryHappy ChristmasHanukkahKwanzaaFestivus!