the holiday season is officially upon us and i'm actually looking forward to it.
every year i tell myself i'm going to simplify.
and this year, i really am.
this one piece of advise changed everything for me.
we sat down with our kids and told them they could ask santa
for something to play with, something to read and something to wear.
to my surprise, they happily obliged.
they have each thought long and hard about the one "toy" they'd really like to ask for
and as part of our family night, we wrote letters to santa.
we also read this story from the friend magazine.
i plan to give each child their own small manger to pad with straw
which they can earn by completing simple acts of kindness or service.
i hope my children will learn from an early age that Christmas isn't about getting.
true joy comes from selflessness and service.
Every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him,
is inspired of God {Moroni 7:13}.
enjoy this magical time of year with those you love most!
...
i plan to give each child their own small manger to pad with straw
which they can earn by completing simple acts of kindness or service.
i hope my children will learn from an early age that Christmas isn't about getting.
true joy comes from selflessness and service.
Every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him,
is inspired of God {Moroni 7:13}.
enjoy this magical time of year with those you love most!
...
5 comments:
We do that, too! They give us a list of something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read. Keeps it simple and fun. :) Then we always do secret santa for a family in need which is where most of our Christmas money goes, as it should be. :)
Great minds think alike! We're doing the same thing too! We've realized that our kids have/get too much and therefore don't really treasure anything. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out a way to help them experience the joy in service and I'll think your idea is brillant! Thanks Jill!
p.s. Welcome back!
Wow...it seems like more and more people are using this method for Christmas. I mentioned this to my husband back in November...he though the idea was "brilliant"! It's nice that we can make it so simple with 3 things. This is a great way to work on getting the commercialism out of Christmas and teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas.
Thank you for this post! I've been trying and trying to come up with a similar idea but they all ended up with the kids getting whatever they wanted and I want it to be more Christ centered. I hope you don't mind if I follow your example and use this for our family!
Jill, I am always so impressed with you and how you raise your kids. Indeed "true joy comes from selflessness and service." Thanks for the reminder about the reason for the season.
Merry Christmas. Enjoy yourselves — and each other!
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