I was utterly blessed by this video a few weeks back when Vicky from
the city cradle shared it.
It has changed my mind, changed how I frivolously shop for x-mas, changed how I view the meaning of Christmas, convicted me of how I have treated such a sacred event, the birth of the King I serve and Love. Made me realize how silly checking off a list of relatives and friends, making sure they each have something to open, while I myself receive little joy from giving because little thought was put into the gift. And who needs another gift card right?
Heres a great way to bless someone. Buy them a
chicken, some ducks, or a goat and your gift will keep on giving.
Talk about giving a meaningful gift that people need, and will cherish.
The gift of food & ability to provide for your family.
What are your thoughts?
I agree. I hate feeling rushed and stressed about gifts. I like to start thinking about way early (Septemberish) so I can try to make things or do something that is more meaningful. It doesn't always happen, life gets busy with kids and other things, but just having the mindset that it is about giving, and why we have the tradition of giving helps me keep it all in perspective. It's not about how much you spend, but that you were thinking of the person.
ReplyDeleteI want my kids to get past the long lists of what they WANT...and help them see that while that is a fun part of Christmas, there is much joy in service and giving this time of year. I have dozens of brownie mixes I got on sale for 25 cents, so I thought we could make them once or twice a week and randomly pick a neighbor to take them to, "just because". I think they will start to feel the thrill of surprising someone with a simple gift...at least I hope! Any other ideas out there to teach kids this idea...please share!
That's a really great idea with the brownies.
ReplyDeleteI hope to someday be able to show my son (also as you are doing) that since we received the gift of a baby who was born just like we were all born, and who lived life as we did, suffering the same sorts of situations we suffer, and who ultimately lived a life to die and pour out his blood that we may have life. It seriously blows my mind when I try to wrap my mind around who amazing that really is, and what that means for me as I live my everyday life.
I guess I need to remember what the whole gift giving is meant for, instead of being such a major scrooge. I honestly hate the obligation of getting gifts. I hate feeling like it's something I HAVE to do, and rather, something I want to do to love people through it.
Anyway.
Thanks for your thoughts.
AND, You're a super awesome mama!
Christmas has turned into such a stressful, crazy event and it's sad. The brownie thing is such a sweet, kind thing to do, just to do and not expect anything back. Last year my mom and I made all kinds of cookies and candy and put them on cheap foil plates and wrapped it up with pretty colored saran wrap and gave them to neighbors, friends and loved ones. It was fun, cheap and made Christmas feel more like Christmas. I think doing something like that for an assisted living community would be fun as well. Anyhow, that video is pretty on point with how Christmas has become...
ReplyDeleteI think the thing that impacted me the most was realizing how much money as a country we spend on Christmas, and what a difference that would make if we turned that money into drinking water for countries without it. It's rather embarrassing that we {I} Don't love others in that way, that I could SO changed their way of life if I simply chose to sell out, and no longer treat the holiday as I do.
ReplyDeleteanyway.
heres a great website to bless people with gifts that will...bless a lot of people
http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/gift-catalog-dynamic-search?Open&cmp=KNC-10152551&campaign=10152551&gccode=000019