Day One

November 5.

Won't be long until the Christmas Rush is upon us.

This year, it will be different. This year, my children will learn the value of generosity. They will learn that Christ is the REAL reason for the season and will make many happy memories with their family.

This is the year where as a family we have decided ENOUGH of the madness. ENOUGH of the over spending. And ENOUGH of the commercialism.

I started a group on Facebook, and if you're interested you're welcome to join. It's called A Simple Christmas.

Picture a season with gifts you are excited about giving because you've put a great deal of thought into them and not just selected them from a catalogue or store because you were running out of time and it was (sort of) in your budget. Take yourself back to being a child and giving your parents a present you had made yourself, or spent hours plotting how to buy. Rediscover that magic this year. Start thinking now. Start making what you are able to make yourself - maybe you can sew. Think of a little girl in your life and how much she would love some new Barbie dresses? Perhaps you can REALLY cook or bake - yummy snacks accompanied with the recipe and ingredients to make / or little gadgets can be wonderful!

Think past the Walmart and Toys R Us. Maybe you can make a gift to charity in the name of a loved one? One of the best birthday gifts I have rec'd (my birthday is also Christmas Day) is a donation to fund Breast Cancer research in honor of my grandmother who just went through it.

Do you really want to receive or contribute to the mountains of plastic packaging and wrapping to give a gift to a kid that will hold their interest for 20 mins and then languish for years in the toybox because you have just instilled guilt in the parents because they would feel bad about getting rid of a gift that you spent good $ on?

As a society we are FINALLY starting to come around to less "stuff" thank goodness. When shopping think "how much would the kid REALLY like this?" Are you just getting "something" for them? It doesn't take any money to think! Another idea is to check with the parents to see what the kid already has that you can build on - maybe they have a train collection and could use a new set of tracks? Maybe you can buy some furniture for an existing doll house?

I know I will be doing it differently this year. This year my kids will gain more memories than things, and we will all be better off!