I need y'alls help!
I usually have a goal of having the majority of
Christmas shopping done by October.
I will at least have gifts in my mind
as to what to get family members for Christmas.
This year,
I have no desire.
I do love to give gifts to family, friends and our kids.
I love to see their faces light up Christmas morning
when they unwrap their gifts.
But, this year -
I am having a hard time even coming up
with gift ideas for our kids.
Whenever I go to the store with gift purchasing on my mind -
sadness overcomes me.
There are so many people who go without so much!
They go without shoes,
without food,
without water...
How can I fill my house with more stuff
when we could do so much more.
We have so much -
we have all we need -
we really don't need any more stuff.
Anyone have any ideas of what we can do?
The local shelters don't want people under 12 to volunteer -
so volunteering there doesn't really work,
since half of our family would have to stay home.
We have thought of purchasing gifts:
something they want,
something they need,
something to share
and
something to read.
but, even that gives me hives.
Am I crazy?
What do y'all do?
Anyone else feeling the same way I do?
6 comments:
Jodi, I am feeling the same way this year! It is so easy to be downhearted with all the excess and greed and discontent we see in those living very comfortable lives when there are so many who go without even the basic necessities. I want to scream at everyone to wake up - do you really need the latest gadget when people are slowly starving to death, maybe right in your very city?
Our children are 4, 3, and 2 and so in a way it is very easy for us as they have very few preconceived notions and are just enjoying the magic right now. We get to start from the ground up in teaching them. So our main goals this year are 1) teaching/modeling a spirit of contentment and gratitude and 2) starting to make them aware of the world around them.
What we have told them that Santa is so busy that it is impossible for him to reach every house on Christmas and so WE get to be Santa's helpers! This weekend, they will each be choosing a good portion of their toys, cleaning them up and putting them in a box to take to a local shelter we have contacted. We will also be going through clothes and other household items as well to take. Next weekend, we will be going shopping for a family we know that needs some help. Our 4-year-old is already asking questions about why we are doing this so we're pretty sure the message is starting to sink in to him.
Ours will still receive a few toys for Christmas (we also do coupons for gifts of time like a lunch date with mommy and daddy or a special trip to the zoo etc.) but we are trying to start now planting the knowledge that there are those who are much less fortunate than us and as they get older, they will hopefully have a heart for service. Trying to teach by example, my husband and I are forgoing gifts from each other and instead donating to a charity in each others' names. Our prayer is that our children will choose to do the same one day.
What our family has done in the past is that we have made homemade ornaments and stapled to the ornament string is a donation to Samaritan's Purse. We try not to over indulge our kids in presents because we know that our family member buy so much for them against our request not to. We talk through out the Christmas a.m how blessed we are. They also love to do the shoeboxes to give to kids! Unfortunately we are blessed to live in a country where stuff is in mass amounts! I am like you. I wish that Christmas wasnt so commercialized but more about Jesus' birth and using this holiday to bless others.
I'm feeling a bit the same way, Jodi. Not sure how yet how we're doing Christmas this year. We usually do 3 gifts for the kids and one is a book, but not sure we'll keep it the same this year.
I'm with you, sister! Here's what we started doing last year, and I'm looking forward to it this year. Each child gets 3 gifts: 1 need; 1 want; 1 to give.
I've already asked them to give me their 'want/need/give' list and so far it's looking like fun!
For those who are too young to say waht they want to give, I choose an adoptive family for them :)
World Vision Gift Catalog. For $25 we can send 2 chickens to a family in need. We don't even need to buy gifts for the boys, as their grandparents provide for so many of their needs (and many more wants!). I did pick up some Thomas the Train socks for N. recently, and will put those in his stocking. They'll probably get toothbrushes in their stockings too. ;)
www.worldvisiongifts.org
I feel the same way! I get a lot of gifts at www.orphanwares.com, where 100% of the proceeds feed street kids in Uganda. I also try to buy lots of gifts from adoption fundraisers. That way the gifts we buy are benefiting the less fortunate.
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