A handmade Christmas, doesn’t that sound lovely? Opening presents as a family that we have all put our heart and soul into for each other. Months of pre-planning and prepping for this special exchange on Christmas Eve. Sipping hot cocoa by the fire, a little Nat King Cole in the background and the scent of pine in the air from the tree nearby.
About July this summer, my husband and I came up with this great plan. Our kids are now 3 and 6 years old. They are old enough to understand the materialism around the holiday and they are also old enough to comprehend the reason our family actually celebrates this holiday. This leaves us in a tough spot as parents. How do we choose to do gifts for Christmas? We have a crafty household. Even my husband has a great eye for design and enjoys the process. A handmade Christmas would be a great way to not only escape the materialism of the season, but also continue to instill other valuable life-giving traits to our kids (and ourselves!). Win-win, right?
So, September and October passed, and then we entered into November. We can list a number of excuses as to why the reality of crafting for hours just won’t work for our family this year. We hit a snag in our Norman Rockwell picturesque family Christmas exchange. I tried to hold out for a bit, but then my husband and I laughed at each other about a week ago and both agreed this was not happening this year, at least not in full swing. Wha wha.
So here we stand.
We have transitioned over the past few years a little out of the materialism of the season. Drawing names with the extended family and only exchanging one present rather then sixteen. Donating as a family toward a specific charity. Trying to focus more on relational gifts vs. simply a goods swap.
I’m not exactly sure how this year will look for our family. But I am really struggling with the fact that people need clean water while I’m worried about the lines at the mall. This mentality can be (should be?) taken in every aspect of our lives, all year round, yet the problems become so much more evident around Christmas.
I’m optimistic I can change the world someday, but today I’d just like to focus on helping change somebody else’s world and teaching my children to have the same goal in their lives. The Advent Conspiracy video has motivated our family recently to make a change.
What great tips does your family have to share?
