I am so excited about a new family Christmas tradition that we have decided to start with our girls. I think I’m more excited about this than about any other gift we will be giving. I have hesitated to write about it because there is a danger in coming off the wrong way. Ultimately I decided that if even one other family thinks it’s a good idea and decides to do it too, then it is worth the risk of others thinking I am writing this with any questionable motivations.
As we began to think about Christmas gifts for the girls and other family members and figuring out our budget, I was overwhelmed one day with this thought: We are so BLESSED to be able to even think of spending money in this way. And the following verse came to mind: “And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed” Genesis 22:18. If we can afford to spend this much on gifts for family, surely we can afford to give extra so that a family with very little can be provided for. I realized that I want my girls to understand how incredibly blessed we are and that with all the resources we are given comes great responsibility to make sure we are using them to bless others. It’s sometimes hard for kids to really ‘get’ that there are many children in the world who have nothing. Our girls know very little of our regular giving choices, but tying this lesson to Christmas each year would be a wonderful way to connect the concept of how richly blessed we are with making sure we are blessing others who have little. There are a multitude of ways you could do this, but we have chosen to do the following:
The day before any Christmas gifts are opened this year (which will be after Thanksgiving since we are doing Christmas early with my family), we will talk about how we know that opening presents is so exciting and it’s going to be a lot of fun! Having presents and special food to eat are wonderful gifts from God. But there are lots of families who don’t have as much as we do and before we enjoy all the blessings we’ve been given, we want to make sure we give a special gift to another family that needs it. Then we will read the story “Beatrice’s Goat’ together. (This book is put out by Heifer International) It is the story of a little girl in Africa who desperately wants to go to school but her family cannot afford the required uniforms or books. Then her family is given the gift of a goat from a family far away. This goat produces milk for drinking and for making cheese. Her family now has more nutrition and can sell the extra milk and cheese for extra income. This income means they can buy more food for their six children and…can afford to buy Beatrice her school uniform and books.
After we read the story we will go online together with Trinity (We are choosing to go with World Vision but Heifer Int’l is also a wonderful organization) and together we will choose an animal to give to another family far away. Trinity has a wonderfully compassionate heart, and as Lilly grows, I hope she does too. I know Trin will be excited to pick out an animal to give. Goats, pigs, sheep, chickens, rabbits, there are so many to choose from and all of them can help the families they go to in multiple ways. We will give Trinity a budget and let her decide what our family will give. I am excited to see what she chooses! I hope this new tradition will help keep the importance of sharing our blessings with others at the forefront of our daughter’s minds as they grow. It’s always easy to look at others who have more and desire that for ourselves, but I think that living a generous life helps us to see what we have differently and keep things in perspective.
You can probably see now, why I debated whether or not it was a good idea to write this post. But I finally decided, if one other family decides to do something similar then twice as many people are helped than would have been otherwise, and that’s a good thing. Maybe your family can’t afford a goat, maybe you choose baby chicks, or go together to serve at a shelter, or make a meal together to take to a family who is struggling financially. Maybe you bring cookies to someone who has a thankless job, or make up a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child. Heck, maybe you are in an entirely different position and can afford to pay to have a well dug for fresh water for a village in Africa. I have no idea what your situation is but chances are, if you have food on your table daily you can afford to give in some way. I know lots of people give extra at the holidays but do they make a point to include their children in that process? I am certain plenty do already, but Trinity is finally reaching the age where it makes sense to talk about things in greater detail, so these are the things that are on my mind. It’s an easy time of year for kids to get caught up in what they will GET for Christmas. I think it’s important to make sure they get to be a part of the true joy that comes from GIVING. If you have a fun serving or giving idea that your family does together I would love to hear about it!
sarahsjoys 
We do Heifer International. My mom helps th kids choose what they’d like to give. Fantastic tradition!
Excellent Post! We did this last year with our oldest and she was thrilled to choose. However, I didn’t have a story book and I’m going to ADD that to our tradition this year! Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
What a wonderful lesson you’re teaching your children! My church regularly campaigns for people to donate animals through World Vision as well. It’s amazing how much a simple gift like a few baby chicks can change the lives of an entire family. Those chicks will grow up and lay eggs. The eggs can either be eaten by the family or sold to gain some income. Some of the eggs can be set and hatched into more chicks that will grow up to become a food source for the family, either through butchering and eating the roosters or by becoming laying hens. Some of the chicks can be sold. And it just snowballs from there. I hope to someday be able to afford to purchase animals through this program myself.
This is an awesome idea, Sarah!
I may not have young kids anymore, but this is something that EVERYONE should be mindful of. Giving in this way is very intentional and specific. I am reminded of two missions my church works very closely with, ‘Pioneers International’ and ‘Clinics of Hope'(Togo).
Thanks for the prompt!
We fill a shoe box with toys for the Operation Christmas Child every year. Last year I volunteered to go there and help. There were so many shoe boxes! After a long day working there I felt tired but over joyed knowing that children will have something at Christmas. I have 2 teenagers and my son will go with me this year to help. I want him to have that same feeling that I had or least understand he’s doing a good deed. A few people from our church also deliver turkeys to needy families. My son helped last year delivering food.
Last year, as I was trying to decide what to give my class for Christmas, and realizing that there wasn’t anything I could give them that they really needed, I decided to give a flock of chicks through Heifer International on their behalf. Their reaction was interesting and varied. I think some weren’t sure at first if I was serious or not. But some were obviously moved by the gift. However, the surprise for me came later. Sometime in mid-spring someone asked, “How are our chicks doing?” So, after many years of teaching, I think it was the most memorable gift I’ve ever given my students. I’ve never had anyone else refer to their Christms gift from me later in the year. The idea of giving the class a set amount and allowing them to select the gift is another idea I may consider. We will also be in the middle of raising money for the Pregnancy Center in town and will continue to do our Middle School shopping day for the center on the last day of school before our Christmas break. The kids really get into selecting gifts for new moms and their babies, wrapping them with great care and even including notes with the gifts. And the pregnancy center is always so appreciative of the gifts we are able to donate. It’s another hands-on way to get kids involved in giving.