my co. did well this year and yes, I gave bonuses to my staff but I wanted to do more. An email from my sister was the perfect answer. A family at church needed some help. They weren't asking for it, just was talking in general how tough it is and Mom felt overwhelmed. My sister took it upon herself to send an email to all her bffs and it took off. My staff and I had a blast- one of my girls is a huge shopper- knew all the sales and had the greatest coupons. We outfitted the 3 kids from Aeropostale- socks, jeans, hoodies, shirts, and even coats! I bought everything for their Christmas dinner. Sister's office buddies bought toys, the church gave gas cards and $ for more groceries. Sister and hubby bought food for 2 weeks (kids get breakfast and lunch through school).
The family was just amazed. Mom kept saying- we weren't asking for anything, I was just letting off steam. The best part- they were having difficulty making their mortgage payments and I managed to give her some info that has helped her keep her house. I also gave her the name of a place for hubby to apply for a better job and for her to add to her teaching credentials.
Now that's happiness.