The Kindness Challenge

Leah's family is reeling after losing her husband earlier in the year. Thanksgiving has passed, and she is trying to find a way to bring him home for the holidays, even if he can't actually be there.

As she plans for her family's beloved tradition of completing daily kindness challenges during the month of December, she comes up with an idea that will ensure her husband is still part of the holiday celebration.

Twelve-year-old Lucy and nine-year-old Micah miss their dad and the special touches he would bring to their kindness challenge every year. They're quiet and reserved as December begins but eager to fulfill the daily tasks. Leah hopes that remembering their dad throughout the month will make their eyes shine bright once again.

"Melissa Cate opened the pages of her heart in this beautiful, thought-provoking story of a widowed mother with her two children. This inspiring tale of Christ-inspired love, told through a season of grief & Christmas joy, will make you pause and consider what your holiday season could look like. The Kindness Challenge has already impacted our Christmas, and if you let it, it will for you too." -Amanda Wright, Christy Award Winning Author

This title was originally published as a short story in Home for the Holidays: A Christmastime Anthology by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, LLC, in November 2025. The story has been expanded to include additional scenes/chapters, nonfiction resources for widows and widowed parents, kindness challenge ideas, and original artwork.