Introducing the 12 Days of Hand Hugs: A Holiday Countdown of Kindness, Joy, & Love

By Niki Spears

The holiday season is here — a time of joy, gratitude, reflection, and connection. And this year, I want to invite you to join me on a journey that is very close to my heart: The 12 Days of Hand Hugs.

If you’re familiar with my children’s book The Hand Hug, you know it began with a personal story — one that traces back to my own childhood. As a little girl, I battled worrisome thoughts. The more I worried, the bigger those thoughts became, and the harder they were to escape. I didn’t understand how to calm my mind or choose a different focus. I simply absorbed every anxious thought and carried them with me.

But something shifted as I grew older.

I discovered the power of gratitude.I learned that when I changed my focus — when I intentionally looked for something good — it opened the door for more positivity to enter my life. The more I practiced this, the more peaceful and grounded I became.

That transformation became the inspiration behind The Hand Hug and the message I now share with children, families, and educators around the world:Worries may still show up, but we get to choose what we give our energy to.

And that’s what brings us to today.

Welcome to the 12 Days of Hand Hugs

For the next 12 days leading up to Christmas, I’ll be sharing one short video each day with a simple act of kindness, gratitude, or joy — something small we can each do to shift our energy and spread a little more love in the world.

Every challenge will be inspired by the themes in The Hand Hug:

• Gratitude

• Self-awareness

• Calming worry

• Kindness

• Friendship

• Mindfulness

• Joy

  
  

Whether you’re an educator, a parent, a student, or simply someone who wants to bring more light into the world, these twelve days are for you.

Day 1 Challenge: Draw a Hand Hug of Gratitude

To begin this journey, today’s challenge is simple and meaningful:

Trace your hand on a piece of paper and write three things you’re grateful for inside it.

This is our way of shifting our attention to the good — just like Baelor does in the story when she fills her Hand Hug notebook with the beautiful moments in her day.

Grab a pen.Trace your hand.Fill it with gratitude.And if you’d like, share your Hand Hug with me on social media — I would love to see what’s bringing joy into your life today.

Let’s Spread Kindness Together

My hope is that over the next 12 days, these simple practices remind all of us — children and adults alike — that we have the power to choose our focus. We can choose connection. We can choose joy. We can choose love.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.Let’s make this holiday season a little brighter… one Hand Hug at a time.

Stay tuned for Day 2 tomorrow!