Tip #1: Create a Casual Family Foundation

The holiday season is a great time to help kids feel the joy of giving.
Here’s what we do in our house in case it sparks ideas for your family.

We have an informal tradition called The Sklar Family Foundation.
(One day it might become a real foundation. For now, it’s just what we call our annual meeting where we sit around the table and decide where to donate our money.)

Here’s how we do it:

1. My husband and I decide the total amount we’re giving.
2. As a family, we brainstorm the causes and organizations we want to support. The list changes every year depending on what the kids care about. We write each one on a sticky note.
3. We lay the sticky notes out in a grid on the table.
4. Each kid gets a stack of poker chips or coins with a set “value” (for example, each chip might equal $1, $5, or $10).
5. They lobby for their favorite causes and distribute their chips across the sticky notes.
6. My husband totals up the donations and submits them that night.
   

We always do this on one night of Hanukkah – a night dedicated to giving instead of receiving.

You can choose any date, but bonus points if you make it an annual tradition tied to a memorable day, like the night before or after Christmas. These rituals stick with kids and create a strong sense of family identity over the years.

Tip #2: My New Hero is: AgendaHero

I found a tool that every parent needs to start using…like yesterday.

It creates calendar events directly in your calendar from PDFs, screenshots, images, lists. Pretty much anything.

It uses AI to read the details and turn them into editable calendar entries you can add with one click.

I added our entire soccer and basketball season to our family calendar in under five minutes.
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It even worked on the annual school calendar my son brought home crumpled at the bottom of his backpack.

It’s totally free, and they keep adding new features.

When you create an account, you’ll see:

• a scheduling tool similar to Doodle (but better)
  
• a way to generate a simple “Add to Calendar” button for events – great for family, friends, or workshop attendees (I see you 😜) 
  
• a printable version of your events for your fridge

Try it here:
https://agendahero.com/magic

You’ll thank me – like Elaine did at the basketball game last night when she used it for the team calendar. Just saying.