Crafting A Kinder World

Michaels celebrates Random Acts of Kindness Day with $100,000 in giveaways

Random Acts of Kindness Day is Friday, Feb. 17, and to celebrate the spirit of the day and encourage others to participate, Michaels will give away more than $100,000 in gift cards at its 1,060+ stores and on its Facebook page.

Throughout the day, Michaels will randomly hand out thousands of gift cards in its stores and through Facebook to inspire people to in turn do something kind for others, such as donating their gift cards to a school, church or hospital, or using the cards to buy supplies to make a special homemade gift for someone.

“This is a fun way for us to say thanks to our loyal customers and an opportunity for them to pay it forward with a DIY gift,” said Michaels Chief Marketing Officer Paula Puleo. “We hope that our participation in Random Acts of Kindness Day will inspire our customers throughout the year.”

The unofficial holiday falls during Random Acts of Kindness Week®, Feb. 13-19, founded by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, an internationally recognized nonprofit organization based upon the powerful belief in kindness, and dedicated to providing resources and tools that encourage acts of kindness.

Customers who want to participate in the holiday with a hand-made gift can find suggested projects to share at Michaels.com/sharethelove.

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?