Tie One On Day encourages us to think about friends in need

Plenty of people need extra TLC to get through the long holiday season. People grieving, folks who are ailing or simply friends who might be a little blue.

Some of those people could be your neighbors.

That's why EllynAnne Geisel created Tie One On Day (... An Apron of Course!) to encourage people to show a little kindness to others the day before Thanksgiving.

Aprons are Geisel's thing. She is the author of several popular books on aprons and shares stories about her favorites at Apronmemories.com. A traveling exhibit that she curated, "Apron Chronicles: A Patchwork of American Recollections," is in its ninth year and will open soon at the Waupaca library in Waupaca, WI.

So this year, on Nov. 26, Geisel, who lives in Pueblo, Colo., encourages us to wrap a homemade loaf of bread or another baked treat in an apron and deliver it to a friend in need. Geisel will be the guest on the live #CookClub Twitter chat 7 p.m. Nov. 6

Nine years ago, as Geisel was preparing her turkey dinner, she suddenly thought about a neighbor whose family had experienced a tragedy. She realized they had much more on their minds than side dishes and pumpkin pies.

"Spur of the moment, I wrapped a loaf of bread in an apron and slipped a handwritten card in the pocket. Still wearing my apron, I walked two blocks, nervously half-hoping no one would answer the door so I could leave my offering on the porch," Geisel says. "But my knock was answered, and my neighbor was so grateful of a gesture of recognition, so appreciative of an in-person delivery and a few minutes of kindly conversation. Walking home, I felt this unexpected joy."

That's when she created Tie One On Day (… An Apron, of Course!) as a yearly encouragement to give from the heart through an act of kindness before giving thanks on Thanksgiving.

"That such a simple act had made someone happy and my heart swell as well was an experience I knew needed to be shared," she said.

To read more about Tie One On Day, go to apronmemories.com.