And How

Friday, November 2, 2012

Making a List...OR NOT!

This year, Pack and I have decided to shift our focus from "shopping for Christmas" to "celebrating CHRISTmas."  This is why we have decided to limit our Christmas shopping this year to just our children and our siblings' children.  As much as we enjoy giving gifts to others (especially our awesome family), we end up spending quite a bit of time, stress, and money looking for the perfect gift for them that is within our budget, or making something, which is also time-consuming.  We want to spend more time thinking about the MOST perfect gift, which is Jesus. 

In honor of our amazing family and friends, our family is going to start a new tradition of blessing another family with a monetary gift...one for each person in our home.  We were blessed by another family last year at Christmas and the monetary value of the gift paled in comparison to the heart behind their generosity.  We are sure that our family would much rather have our money go to someone who really needs it than to buy them something else to put in their homes.  Our families are pretty amazing:)
   
I don't know about you, but I would much rather spend the holidays spending time with my family and enjoying this sweet season of life with them instead of with strangers at the mall.  So when you are doing your shopping this year, please think of my family, but cross us off your list.  Instead, try donating what you would normally spend on unnecessary gifts to a person or family who needs a bit of Christmas cheer.  Let Jesus give you a heart like His--a much better gift than I could buy you;)

2 Corinthians 9:7

 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

3 comments:

  1. I love this! What a wonderful way to teach our babies the real meaning of Christmas! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is a beautiful idea. For years, I have wanted to tell my family not to buy me anything, that I really don't NEED anything, but so far, they have not taken me seriously. I love your idea about giving that money to a family in need--what a great example for your children of a generous spirit!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is wonderful, Kimberly! I have been trying hard to be more giving since my eyes were opened to how much we do on this earth is in vain. Losing a parent really opens your eyes to the REAL reason we are here: vessels for Christ. I fully intend to use your idea for our family this CHRISTmas. We wish you and your family happy holidays!

    ReplyDelete