Each family has their own way of making Christmas such a special time of year. We all have our unique and treasured traditions. There are the standard ones like putting up a Christmas tree and lights on your house. Sending out Christmas cards and exchanging gifts. Decorating cookies and making fudge. Family pictures in front of the tree and stockings stuffed full. We have been enjoying all of the above!Then there are the more personal ones like listening to nothing but Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CD for a month straight. Special annual family parties that bring extended family together just once a year. Tacky Christmas sweater parties. Cruising Hagan Oaks to look at Christmas lights with Starbucks hot chocolates in hand. And Santa pictures in the Valley Plaza.
Those are some silly and fun traditions, but as our children grow older and more aware we feel compelled to develop traditions that will instill a true understanding of what Christmas is really about. We do not desire for our children to fall into the pit of viewing Christmas as a time to get "stuff". We want greed to be as far from their hearts as possible and instill a heart of blessing others. These desires have led us to NEW traditions for 2009! In addition to the old ones of course.
1. Only 3 gifts each just like Jesus got 3 gifts from the 3 wise men.
2. Let the boys give their own gifts so their hearts can be blessed by giving.
3. As a family choose a charity to support with a portion of our gift money each year.
4. Visit the Retirement Home and let the kids make and pass out Christmas cards.
5. My favorite new one is giving object lessons using the Little People Nativity scene while Peyton bounces around the house with a Wise Man in hand saying "follow star, follow star". This makes my heart rejoice!
What does your family do to exclude the busyness and greed that can slip in over the holiday time and to bring focus back to the birth of our Lord and Savior?! I want to hear all about it!!
7 comments:
oh my goodness, I just clicked on your blog from Lorie's, and I am so glad I did! I love your idea about the 3 gifts! With our families I feel that our son will be getting WAY too much for Christmas every year so as he gets older I want him to understand the TRUE meaning of Christmas! Great idea, I just told my husband! : )
Cute onesie your little guy has on!!
I love the 3 gifts idea too! Brent and I sponser a family or a child every Christmas. My dad reads the story of Jesus' birth from the bible every Christmas Eve. :)
monch, monch on that yummy baby!
i love the idea of excluding busyness and greed!
one of my sister-in-laws got all their Christmas shopping and cards done before Thanksgiving, so they would have TIME the whole month of December to bless, help and give to others....I thought that was pretty awesome.
We have started several of the ones you have! :) We've done the three gifts for the last couple of years and loved the focus. This year we're going to let the kids hit the dollar store to pick out gifts for everyone to be blessed by giving as well. The best one we're starting though is giving gifts to Jesus. I have a couple of balls hanging on my tree that can be opened and pieces of paper slid in. I have always thought as my kids get older how awesome it would be if for the month of December they could decide what 'gift' they wanted to give Jesus. Helping out a friend, serving at a homeless shelter, making a meal for someone in need, buying a present angel present, etc. ...something thought through and deliberate. The kids are still a little too young to be too deliberate so we are doing this as a family this year. We went and got $100 in McDonalds gift certificates and have them in our cars. When we see anyone in need, holding a sign, etc. I roll down the windown and give them enough towards a meal. The kids get to see this and we get to put our 'gift' of serving others in the ball to open up for Jesus on Christmas morning.
Sadly, we haven't really started any "meaningful" traditions yet except, like you, giving a portion of our gift money to those who need it more than us. But I love the three gifts idea! And the idea of letting our kids give gifts as well. Thanks for the encouragement to establish these meaningful traditions and not get caught up in the busyness and greed of the holiday season.
Our SAVIOR came to live and die for us and that is ALL that should matter!!!
Emily - Thanks for stopping by!
Julie - I love the idea of sponsering a child!
Davi - I love that! I am going to try that next year!
Jenn - I SUPER love the gift card idea!!
Becca - Ehtan was so sweet about his gift giving the other day. He is such a precious little boy!
Thank you EVERYONE for your special thoughts! And Merry Christmas!
We limit how many gifts our kids get from us and there aren't presents overflowing under the tree for them. We try to keep things simple and not over commit to the various holiday parties and events we're invited to. I still want to add more traditions but I can't decide what exactly to do!
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