Sweeten a neighbor's day

From the woman across the street who collects your mail when you're out of town to the man next door who brings in your trash cans, a neighborhood is filled with sweet people- and it's always a sweet idea to let them know how much you appreciate them.

The National Confectioners Association suggests a neighborhoodwide way of sweetening everyone's day this year, starting with materials you can download from www.CandyUSA.org/sweet.

Pick two neighbors you think are sweet. Fill two baskets with goodies- gumdrops, candy canes, ribbon candy, hot cocoa mix, gums and mints, cookies or small boxes of chocolates all work well.

Print two copies of the "Sweet" letter from the NCA website to let the recipients know that someone thinks they're sweet. Print two copies of the sign, too (your recipients will hang that sign on their front door). Prepare two envelopes, each with one copy of the letter and one copy of the door sign, and tuck them into the baskets of sweets. The last step is to deliver the baskets.

Each basket recipient is urged to sweeten the day of two other neighbors. As the days pass, you'll be able to watch as the number of "Sweet" signs hanging on doors increases.

"It's easy to forget the simple ways people make our lives sweeter every day," said Susan Fussell, senior director of communications for NCA. "Take an hour this evening to say thank you to just two people. You'll be amazed how quickly the sweet gifts spread throughout your neighborhood or building."

Use this project to teach your children- or remind yourself- about the importance of healthy eating. The products included in the sweet baskets are treats and should be enjoyed in moderation as part of a healthy, active lifestyle. This is also a great chance to participate in physical activity as a family.

A few days after you present the first basket of sweets, take a walk around the neighborhood to see if you can spot the next four people who were declared sweet. A few days later, eight more neighbors should have signs on their doors during your walk.

Hopefully, your walk will grow longer each time as the sweetness spreads beyond your immediate street or block.

This story is provided by North American Precis Syndicate Inc.