Jill showed this video to me at her house a few weeks ago. I can't help but feel convicted for going overboard during the holidays. Having kids helps ease the guilt because I use them as my excuse for going bonkers. We don't want to disappoint, do we? Certainly the children will be utterly destroyed if there aren't mounds of gifts under the tree. Today, Everett was giving Sally the lowdown on Christmas rituals around our house. He said, "Mommy and Daddy usually just give us like 3 presents, we get lots more from the grandparents." Oh, really? If he thinks we only give them three presents, why bother giving him more? So, this Christmas, why don't you join me in being radical?
4 comments:
I had this clip on my blog last week or something.
We are striving to start up new traditions for Christmas. They involve LOTS less money spent on things, and LOTS more time, activites, homemade gifts, and focus on JESUS!
It's already been a huge blessing letting everyone know that we just aren't in need of anything this year, and we aren't really going to spend hundreds of dollars on more things for people. FREEDOM!
We're with you! You can do it!
This is a great video! I agree-let's be radical--a lot fewer gifts, give to those who really are in need, do fun, simple activities with our kids, and even wait for Christmas. We do an Advent wreath and calendar to count the days off, and don't put up our tree until 1 or 2 days before the actual holiday. Then we leave everything up until Epiphany, when we celebrate the Wise Men coming to worship Jesus. It makes the season so much more peaceful, instead of crazy, like so much of America's made it.
Symona
Very cool. Last year all our extended family members got cards telling them we had made a donation in their names to AHOPE (where Hana came from).
I don't know if this is the craziest Christmas ever or if I've just had a shift that makes it feel crazier than ever. I saw that video very early in the season and, honestly, I've hardly spent any money on my husband and kids. I'm beginning to get a little stressed because I do want to give SOMETHING to our own kids! But, I hate shopping.
I'd love to see the looks on family members faces when they opened a "donation has been given in your name to..." That would not go over well. Despite the fact that some of them regularly forget our birthdays & our kids' birthdays, they EXPECT the gifts from us at Christmas and birthdays. Annoying...
Anyhow, we love the season and our kids truly enjoy doing the Advent wreath every night together (we sing, read Scripture and a story with the candle lit every night of Advent). We have lots of meaningful traditions and it is a truly meaningful time of year for us. The gifts are a *mostly* annoying side thing for me. The kids love them, but I'm glad to see even at 5 our oldest enjoys the more important aspects so much. I was a little surprised by that because Christmas was about one thing for me as a kid. Don't know why I was surprised though...he's a generally cooler person than me in lots of ways...
Have a happy Advent!
Erica
Post a Comment