I recently had a conversation with someone on the street that got me thinking. The stranger was complaining about Christmas traffic and what not. At some point, the conversation shifted to the spirit of giving and instilling that in our children. The lady then says,
“At least there’s one thing good thing that comes about from Christmas.”
Honestly, I was a bit shocked because we LOVE Christmas in our house. We love all that it entails: family, faith, giving, serving, loving and receiving. Though I’m not ignorant and I know that not everyone holds to those values, traditions or beliefs, I was still flabbergasted by her comment. But it was a good reminder to me that not everyone cherishes this time of the year.
15 Things I Want My Kids to Know About Christmas
1. May your focus be on His (Jesus) presence and not just presents.
2. Be thankful for all that you have–it will help you change your attitude when you don’t get everything you’ve asked for.
3. Don’t let your wants get confused with your needs.
4. Believe it or not there will come a time when the amount of presents under the tree will not compare to the smiles and hugs from your loved ones on Christmas morning. Family matters!
5. Christmas gifts are a privilege, not a right.
6. Forgiveness can be a gift, so make sure to give it out to those who need it this time of year.
7. Don’t get so busy that you forget what really matters. Learn to say “no” to things, so you have room to say “yes” to the people that matter the most.
8. Even if you don’t believe in Santa, remember it’s teaching our kids to imagine and believe. But most of all, it reminds us of childhood innocence. So, don’t go ruining it for other kids. 🙂
9. Always remember when you cross paths with others whether it’s in busy traffic, a cashier in a busy shopping malls, a homeless person on the street–these are people with hopes, hearts, dreams and some even with heart ache, that we know not of.
10. If there’s one thing I’ve taught you, it’s the importance of traditions and your culture. They don’t have to be over the top but please make sure you create lasting traditions that consist of your faith, family and culture.
11. Remember that time when we made gingerbread cookies and you all decided to put your army men in them? There was a mess of flour and dough all over the kitchen. That was fun! Those memories will forever be etched in my heart. Just because it didn’t go smoothly doesn’t mean that it wasn’t fun and impacting.
12. When you give a gift, give it without the expectation to receive something in return.
13. Remember that no one has ever become poor from giving to others.
14. Music fills the heart with joy so play lots of Christmas music, during this time of the year.
15. Remember that the best gifts in life can’t be bought.
Okay, I have more. 🙂
16. December 25th is not the day that Jesus was born, it’s the day we celebrate his birth.
17. Sometimes the best gift we can give is the give of our presence.
18. Do you recall how fun it was to make stocking stuffers for each other? Don’t stop even if it’s just a homemade card.
19. Realize that a lot of the Christmas pageants, movies and stories about the birth of Christ are retold from a Westerners perspective.
Feliz Navidad from our familia to yours!
Our boys 10, 7 and 4 years old.
Me and my hot man!
And one of my favorites–my men! I’m so blessed!
[…] 3. Entitlement. They don’t need us to feed into the “Give me, give me” mentality. Our boys use their “give” money from their allowance and jobs they’ve earned to buy a gift to someone in need from our community. To buy gifts that are not “junky” or broken pen sets, lol. I share here on things to consider when giving to a charity. We’ve bought gifts and donated them, we’ve also done something like “operation Christmas box” and I’ve heard of families donating money to organizations like Heiffer international or Samaritans purse international. We also make sure that our Christmas advent calendar is not only filled with activities where it’s all about them but activities where they are encouraged to think about others, in our family, in our neighborhood and community. Christmas doesn’t need to be all about them presents are a privilege not right. […]