The holiday season is upon us. I love the holidays and the thought of Christmas songs, putting up a tree, and drinking eggnog stir up warm feelings inside me. It's easy to get caught up in all the excitement around a holiday. I tried not to go overboard with dressing Asher up at Halloween. I used a bear outfit cover (given to us) as a costume and made homemade facepaint for his nose. Even as I tried to keep things simple, I was quickly reminded that even the little I had done was more than what the kids who came to my door that night were able to do. I was saddened each time I opened the door to a yound child who simply had on what he had probably worn that day and a simple bag to gather candy. It's easy for me to use things around my house to be creative in creating a costume but it may not be as easy for the single mom or the grandparent raising the grandchild.
I want to do things differently with the holidays approaching. I want to begin now so that when Asher is old enough to understand, he will see that the time for celebrating holidays is not all about getting presents or eating as much great homemade food as we want. However, I am not sure where to begin. I do feel challenged to finding a way to give costumes at Halloween next year to kids who do not have any.
It's easy to just give money to things around the holidays but I would rather do something more personal that our family can participate in together. Does anyone have any ideas?
-Sarah
4 comments:
Josh and I made an agreement last year that our gifts from now on, for Christmas, would be something we make. That is very challenging for me due to a pathological lack of creativity, but it does put the focus on creating, not just consuming. One simple thing I would like to do when my children are old enough to participate is make baked goods for people during the holidays, and not just family. Maybe through a focus on creating for others we can impart some humility and sacrifice to our children in a culture that is so "me-centered".
Thanks for your thoughts, Karina. I have always had the idea of making cookies and taking them to shut-ins. Although not really sure who these would be...maybe the church would have a list. Anyone up for this?
I would definitely be up for starting such a ministry. It will be hard with kids our age, but by the time they are around two, I think it will be great for them. I used to have a preacher whose wife made banana bread for all of the church members, visiting a few houses per week. She would have her kids get out of the car and take it up to the person's front door. I was impressed by that lesson.
i was astounded at something i read the other day about the average household spending $1000 during the holidays. to me, that's a vacation with friends/family or a mission trip somewhere, but i suppose really that's just a couple of Iphones & accessories. anyway, it made me more appreciative of my own creativity and ability to make a lot of something out of very little. it's a GREAT feeling to know that i'm enjoying the season baking, wrapping, painting, and playing xmas tunes at home and not get sucked into the mall & target with everyone else!
Post a Comment