A Simple Season: Tips for Keeping the Heart of the Holidays
Part One: Gifts That Keep on Giving
Despite the fact that it may feel like it’s already here (because Hobby Lobby had their Christmas trees out in July) you still have 40 shopping days until Christmas. After many years of searching for the perfect gift-tracking app and creating multiple spreadsheets that track who is getting what and how much we’ve spent, I am ready to throw in the towel on the whole thing. I mean seriously, when did giving gifts become so stressful? Oh that’s right, when I made it that way.
You see, there is nothing wrong with the gift giving itself, but there is often something wrong with how we do it. We get so caught up in the amount we spend or the newest, most-popular toys that we sometimes miss the point. Gift giving isn’t about us; it’s not about what we can prove, how much we spend, or who we can impress. Giving a gift is an opportunity to show others that they are valued, that they matter, that they are loved.
This task can be so overwhelming that we forget to teach our kids about the important stuff, so here are a couple practical ways to keep things simple:
Choose a theme. Give everyone a gift with a similar theme – photos, logo-wear, classic movies, etc. This gives your shopping focus, which saves time.
Make less more. For large family celebrations consider eliminating the everyone-gets-everyone-a-gift approach; try couple-to-couple gifts, family-to-family gifts, or drawing a name so that instead of ten $10 gifts you buy one $100 gift.
Value experiences over things. Think museum passes, swim or karate lessons, baseball gloves, park memberships – gifts you can use again and again. For bonus points, ask for the pass that allows you to bring guests and bring the gift-giver!
Shop local. Cincinnati has so many awesome local artists and vendors. Find a craft show or a brick-and-mortar shop that you love and commit to buy as much as you can from one place. Saved trips = saved time. Find local fairs and festivals where you can discover local goodies here.
For me, I want to make sure that my kiddos know that this season is about more than just the gifts they receive. As with any lesson I want to sink in, I try to involve their head, their heart, and their hands.
Help your kids understand the world outside their own. When you are headed downtown to enjoy the lights, take some Homeless Care Kits for the homeless you may encounter. Or even take them shopping for someone else: participate in Operation Christmas Child and let your kiddos pick things that they think other kiddos around the world might enjoy, but don’t just put stuff in a box. Talk about the child who might receive your box, where they might live, how their life might be different. Write them a letter with your kiddo, even send them a picture of you, or get really crazy and dig in with one child year-round.
Engage them in serving others. Take your littles to a nursing home to bring smiles to the often-lonely folks there, and have them make homemade cards before you go. Make a meal for a struggling family and have your kiddos help prepare and deliver it. Check with teachers, churches, and neighbors to find out who you may know that could use a meal, or something else you could provide.
Challenge them to sacrifice. As you prepare for new toys and clothes, help your kids go through their own to choose things to give to others. And instead of dropping them off at a truck, consider giving things to people, with names and faces. Faces stick in your head and heart, they are hard to forget. This year, we’re giving our toys here. For kids who are old enough to receive money, consider talking with them in advance about giving away a portion of what they receive.
Communicate gratefulness. Write thank you notes as a family. Have the littlest kids decorate and color and let the older kids write and address the notes. Have the kids think about the gifts they received, and write why they love them and how they’ll use them.
As this season ramps up, work hard to slow down. Be thoughtful about the gifts you buy and intentional about the gifts you can’t, because our kids need to know that the kind of generosity that changes the world costs way more than money.
