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CTC Readers' Poll:
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| "My daughter's church provides the bag lunches for the Soup Kitchen on the 2nd Saturday of the month. My grown daughter (an attorney), my granddaughter (a teenager) and I (retired court reporter) work together to make 48 bag lunches. We find that egg salad sandwiches are quick, nourishing, and not too expensive. We put a sweet treat, a salty treat, and a drink in the lunches in addition to the sandwiches. It is quality time we spend together at my daughter's home. We put the lunches in the refrigerator until the next morning when we take and give them out at the Soup kitchen. This has shown my granddaughter that not all people who come to the soup kitchen are homeless as she thought they were. The first time, she was surprised to see children coming for the lunches. It is a rewarding experience for all of us! Of course, this is not just a Christmastime experience, but one we do year-round." ~ Betty |
| "Every year our playgroup has a Christmas party. Everyone brings a plate, and we do a 'Secret Santa' present swap for the kids. This year however, we decided that each family should bring some non-perishable foods to donate to the local church Christmas food drive. (Our playgroup is held at the church hall.) I thought this would be better for the children to learn that Christmas is more about giving than receiving. The kids at our playgroup are mostly from quite well-off backgrounds and certainly did not need another present! I told my mum about this idea and she is going to suggest it at work next year (too late for this year's 'Secret Santa'). I think a lot of this seasonal gift-swapping at work, schools, and playgroups would be better spent giving gifts to those who really need them." ~ Amanda in Australia |
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"Showing gratefulness during the
Christmas season begins with the focus of Jesus being the
true meaning of Christmas. This year we had our two daughters ages 9
& 6 go through their playroom and pick out stuffed animals they no
longer played with. They rummaged up 3 garbage bags full! We then took
them to a local nursing home and handed them out to the residents. Our
daughters talked for days about the positive experience of giving
joy to others. It gave them of a sense of the phrase, 'It
is better to give than to receive.' Another idea for
gratefulness is staying within a reasonable budget. We read a
magazine article talking about a family that gives each child three
presents at Christmas as a symbol of the three gifts Jesus received
from the wise men. Our daughters can give us ideas on their three most
wanted gifts and look forward to seeing which three they actually
receive." ~ Kim in Iowa
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"I finish shopping early so that our family can dedicate more
time to those who are less fortunate. We pick names from various
Christmas trees in stores and in our church and purchase items from
their wish lists. We then go to church and help wrap the gifts.
It is so awesome to have my kids go through the toy aisles and think
of others. They love the feeling they get on Christmas morning
when they know that other kids out there are opening gifts because
they helped." ~ Nancy
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| "Hello, here's my response to how to make my children appreciate the toys and things they are given. First of all, throw out the TV, or at least disconnect the cable. All those toy commercials only tempt children to want, want, want more things. Secondly, I do not allow my children to be too rough on their toys, (i.e. standing or jumping on electronic toys, throwing toys, etc.), or I put them out of reach. Lastly, ever since my children were babies, I have practiced manners with them. I would coach them to say please and thank you for EVERYTHING they were handed or given as gifts. This was not a one-time lesson; it happened daily. They heard appreciation in our mealtime prayers, our morning prayers and nighttime prayers. Children are creatures of imitation, and if they hear you being appreciative, even for something you don't necessarily like, they will imitate you, especially with a little practice." ~ Heather in IL |
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"Yesterday our local TV news
channel made an appeal to our city. They were short about 1000
unwrapped toys from the year before for the Homeless Center. They
mainly needed gifts for the teenage group. I was all excited to show
my kids that I had completed wrapping all of our own gifts and they
were now under the tree. My daughter, 10, said. Is that all?.'
Well, I already had plans to take her and my son, 9, to buy a few
gifts at the last minute to donate for the shelter. When my son saw
the gift for a boy he wanted to keep it for himself. I explained
that while he would be receiving many gifts, this boy would be
receiving only one--the one we had just bought. I asked him if he
REALLY wanted to keep that gift. He said 'I guess not.'
We went down to the TV station, and my daughter who had been
rebelling through the whole thing decided to get out and go in with us
to drop off the gifts at the last minute. As we were
walking out to the car she said to herself, 'That feels so good!
Mission accomplished! I think they're beginning to see how
fortunate we really are." ~ Tracy
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"For the two years that Steve and
I lived at the orphanage in Juarez, Mexico, I saw Anglo after Anglo
have to deal with our bloated materialism when they crossed the
border, and it changed their lives. What I would do to forever impact
the 'Gimmies' is save for a vacation to do a short-term mission trip
during the holiday season as a family. There was a family that would
come from Colorado every year, and basically this is what they did.
They would celebrate an early Christmas with giving one small
gift to each other and hit the road so they could be in Mexico by
Christmas Eve. The parents would contact the orphanage prior to their
arrival to see what was most needed.
Their children would be the ones to
hand out the gifts, and as Oprah Winfrey recently stated on her show
that chronicled her recent Christmas project in South Africa, 'the
joy is palpable.' Then the family would stay and help with
building projects, cook a meal for everybody, or just hold kids.
This became a tradition with these guys, and we all looked forward to
it every year. Of course, there is a need all year round, and
sometimes it's easier to plan a trip in the summer, but my point is
this. If you teach your kids to give in some real hands-on ways that
are outside of their comfort and language zone, and give them the
opportunity to establish relationships with real children who have
nothing, they are impacted forever.
Seeing as a lot of your readers are
based in the South, it is not at all impossible to be to a border town
with in 24 hours if you drive straight through. Tiring, yes, but
satisfying beyond belief." ~ Ali
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| "My husband and I decided this year to tell our 6-year-old the truth about Santa and emphasize the true reason for the season---Jesus. We try to make sure prayers are said every night at bedtime, at dinner time, and even throughout the day if prayers are needed for someone. We also are trying a new thing this year: beginning on Dec. 1st through the 24th, each one of us must write on a small piece of paper a reason each day we are thankful for Jesus. Then we all fold them and put them in a box and read them aloud on Christmas. And when the weather gets colder and we walk into our warm house I often remind my son of how nice it is and how thankful we should be. So I guess the answer to this question would be just to continually show appreciation out loud with your kids pointing out the little things that so many of us take for granted every day..." Stephanie in Lebanon, Tn |
| "We
are Eastern Orthodox (for 3 years now) and there is great emphasis on
not pre-celebrating Christmas (not celebrating until there is actually
something to celebrate, the birth of Christ, which technically is
celebrated on Dec. 25th so why celebrate before His birth.)
We spend 40 days in preparation for His birth though with
fasting, prayer and confession. Along
with this is the emphasis to celebrate from the 25th until
Theophany/Epiphany- the 12 days of Christmas.
So we have (as many Orthodox do) taken to opening gifts for 12
days. We give one big gift on
Christmas day as well as others from relatives who happen to be with us
and want to see their gifts opened and then we dole out the rest over
the next 12 days. If the children
haven’t received at least 12 gifts (including from relatives) then
we’ll pick a day or two and do a special event like visit the museum
or do a special project together as a family, as their 'gift.'
This helps them take time to 'get to know' their gift and
appreciate its worth more and the love that was behind it.
They get time to play with that one gift all day and really love
it. And one thing I’d like to
implement this year is that they could sit down at the end of the day
and write a thank you card to the gift giver. |
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Teaching Our Children about the True
Meaning of Christmas
By Martha Matthews The stores have put up their holiday decorations. Yuletide carols are being piped in via Muzak to shopping malls across America. Ah, yes, the holiday rush is on. It's that time of year when the lines are long and shoppers are irritable. There are parties to go to, cards to write, baking to be done, a tree to get, lights to be hung and presents to wrap. Then there is the deluge of television advertisements that tell us what we must buy in order to make our loved ones happy. The world has taken Christmas and turned it into a celebration of consumerism. For many children, Christmas is about what presents they are going to get. They have no idea what it is really about. What can we do as parents to make sure our children know the true meaning of Christmas? The answer lies in what we do as parents to put Christ at the center of our Christmas. If we're too busy with holiday preparations to spend time teaching our children what Christmas is really about, then we can't expect them to know the truth. The world will teach them its rendition and it won't be about Jesus. But if we take the time to put Christ at the center of our family's holiday, we will be giving our children the greatest Christmas gift of all: knowing Jesus. Here are some ways you can teach your children the true meaning of Christmas. Begin by reading the account of Jesus' birth in the Bible with your children. Next, discuss Jesus' life; how he loved people and did things for others. To make Christmas come alive for them, teach them to imitating Jesus by doing things for others. Read the scriptures and the examples below for inspiration. Make sure that whatever you choose to do will impact the life of the person you are doing it for in a meaningful way. 1. Teach them to give "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35 (NIV). * Have them choose one of their own toys (in good condition) to give to a child who has none. You choose an item of your own, such as a coat or shoes to give to a homeless person. * Help a less fortunate family for Christmas by providing all the fixings for a Christmas meal, presents for the children and clothes if needed. * Pack bag lunches to give out to the homeless. Include a sandwich, juice box, cheese and crackers, Wet Ones, bus pass, a list of addresses where they can get a hot meal and shower, change for a phone call, and invitation to church. 2. Teach them to share "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." 1 Timothy 6:18. * Take a basket of homemade cookies to a neighbor you don't know well and invite them to church. * Have a friend over for dinner who doesn't know about Jesus and share the Good News with them. * Invite a military person who is away from home to spend Christmas dinner at your house. 3. Teach them to care "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." Psalms 68:5-6. * Visit a Children's Hospital. Bring cookies, toys and games to play. * Bring toys and clothes to an orphanage. * Bring a meal to someone who has a chronic illness. 3. Teach them to serve "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:26-28. (NIV) *Volunteer to make and serve a meal at a homeless shelter *Spending an afternoon at a senior citizens' home. Bring cookies and reading material, sing Christmas songs and serve in any way that may be needed. * Take an elderly person shopping. * Do yard work, pet care or housework for someone who is not physically able to do those things for themselves. By teaching our children to imitate Jesus this Christmas season, we will keep the true meaning of Christmas alive for this generation and for the next. Jesus is the real reason for the season. About the Author: Martha Matthews is the Editor of Christian-Homemaking.com, a website with resources dedicated to Christian homemaking. She also has a popular free monthly newsletter for Christian wives and homemakers called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter. To subscribe send a blank email to wivesofexcellence-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Or visit her web site at www.christian-homemaking.com |
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