Tis the season to consume!! There’s the food, the alcohol, the expensive gifts, that one more present for the kids’ stocking just so everything looks perfect, the school concerts, 1000 Christmas cards and…I could go on and on.For many of us this can be quite a stressful time and we need a good holiday at the end of it all to recover! (See the Family Room Christmas survival guide for tips to making it easier!)
One thing I often think about as my kids are asking for every latest gadget and game is how excessive this whole exercise can be and how we so often lose the true meaning of this great season. Family, memories, generosity, a celebration of faith - how do these get reduced to the latest MP3 player or designer perfume?
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no scrooge and I’m all for giving and receiving gifts (and love anything from L’occitane just BTW), but can’t help wondering how we could do it all better and take some of the focus off getting stuff.
Something I started doing a few years ago in an effort to bring back some balance to the silly season was visiting the websites of Tearfund, Compassion, Oxfam, Salvos or World Vision and looking for ways that I could contribute to the great work they do, at Christmas time.
This year I went to Tearfund http://www.tear.org.au/ and bought some mosquito nets for children in Africa ($10 each) and some packs of school supplies ($5 each) for kids in India.
They send you a card telling you what you’ve bought, without the price, and there’s a nice pic and some info. I’m planning to give them to my kids and some of their cousins, with their other gifts. With my kids, we’ll have a talk about living grateful and will spend some time talking about how life is for so many others.
Other organisations can put your donation no matter what the size, towards Christmas gifts for children living in poverty or could purchase life saving medicines or resources for families to be able to create their own incomes.
I love the idea that the focus is taken solely off this season being about me and mine and extending it to others who live with the sort of need I can only imagine.
There are so many ways we could do this, from inviting someone lonely to Christmas lunch, or taking the kids to visit a nursing home and chat to the golden oldies, or having them make cards for those in your world that would be so touched, and by something so simple.
However you choose to do it, your family will be so much richer for making the effort and making Christmas great for someone else as well as a special time for you.
Fight the consumerism, reach out to someone else and enjoy the process this Christmas…
Lv Jane
5 comments:
Jane,
Thanks. Christmas is about caring and sharing. It's a time when we hopefully 'stand still' for but a moment and reflect on life. In this big ole busy world Christmas allows us that treasured time to teach our children and those around us about what really matters.
In any case I don't seem to 'get' the difference between the wii, playstation 2, 3 or 1500 so off to tearfund or one of the others you mentioned.
Something we're planning to do in the next few weeks is head down to our local Salvation Army or Samaritan's Purse and offer our assistance whatever that may look like. We are also going to make some hot meals for some people who are without home down the street from us. So many things we can do and all of them just take a little thought, effort and love........
Susan
I love Christmas. And I love being able to spend time with my family and what not. But one thing I really look forward to each Christmas is doing the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. And so many students do them - and they get so excited. That's one of the best things!
One other thing I have participated in is the Adopt a Family for Christmas program here in Regina. You call in and get a family the size you are able to adopt and then you buy the kids presents, a Christmas meal - and then any extra's that you can do. I love it!
Chantel
That's a great idea Chantel I would love to adopt a family!
I wonder if there's anything similar in Sydney.
That's my job for this week, if I find out i'll post it for the aussies,
Thanks for commenting... Jane
Very inspiring Jane. A good reminder in the lead up to our polished, westernised Christmas. I will be shifting my words and actions to not only reach out to others, but show my daughter the true spirit of Christmas.
Thank you,
Michaela.
Thats great Jane. Thanks for the kick up the you know what! My kids are going to experience so much this Christmas with a fantastic holiday and gifts but now I am determined that they find some way to reach out and bring something to someone with real need.
Sam
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