Amen. Amen. Amen.
I have been feeling this way for years now. Lehr and I made a conscious effort a few years back to cut back on our (useless) holiday spending on friends and family and each other. Why do the stockings have to be overflowing with cheap plastic trinkets that get lost before the day is through? Why do the gifts under the tree have to total a certain amount, even if it means buying things we know the person on the receiving end probably won't like? Silly. It's silly, I tell you. I am sure we've offended some friends and family. I'm sure a few of them have even thought, "Wow...I guess they just don't feel we're important enough to buy for anymore." That's not it; I assure you. We've really tried to be mindful of our gifts. They usually consist of more time-consuming sacrifices than wallet-reaching sacrifices. They are usually something that we hope will mean something years from now, not just for a few weeks after the holidays. And more importantly, we hope Eli and Maddux see that we use our 'extra' money to help people who don't have the means to provide for themselves.
For several years now we've participated in several charities throughout the year, and especially at the holidays. I'm not posting this to say 'yay us'; I hope this helps families who want to create similar traditions. We adopt a family with a terminally ill child for Christmas. Together with a few other families, we provide a Christmas filled with wants and needs for a family who otherwise would have a bleak holiday due to the demands of medical bills. Eli has really gotten into this practice the last few years, and I hope Maddux starts to understand a little more next Christmas. We also go through the World Vision catalogue and pick out a few things to buy for kids, families, and villages all over the world. Be it water or food or mosquito nets or soccer balls, Eli gets to choose how he wants to help.
I'm not doing a formal 'Donation Corner' this month. Instead, please seek out your own charity. I have several charities linked on my Donation Corner page if you need ideas, but I urge you to pray about it and find what need speaks to your heart.
2 comments:
I think this is such a great idea. It teaches your kids the true meaning of Christmas. We too adopt a family. Well this year we did it through his school, but I was sadden to see that people would walk past it without giving it a thought. We will usually do this and look for a giving tree. I think to me this brings more joy then buying for my own children. It is more important to me that everyone has a nice Christmas, then my kids getting the new hot item out there. I agree I think more families should have this tradition in their homes.
Amy
Amen, Nicole. What a perfect video too, absolutely hits the nail on the head.
I think it is nice to see people cutting back this year, but I'm saddened that it took a downslididng economy to do so. Each year we try to take a step back in our holiday shopping and be a little more conservative, and I always try to do something creative at the hospital for my inpatients who are unfortunate enough to be spending the holidays there, but I feel the overwhelming need to do more. Ava and I will be doing a shoe donation drive this year for Nike (hopefully when people are spring-cleaning their closets!) and I'm excited to get her more involved.
I wouldn't have even known about that cause if it weren't for your blog!
You are an inspiration, and a great mom. Your good heart is contagious, and I appreciate how it has sparked the same in myself!
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