• Nov. 24, 2008
A Meaningful Christmas
I know I have not made an entry on this blog for SUCH a long time! That is a testament to my totally busy life. It seems I have not had a single second to do anything other than the "necessary" for way too long! That is one of the reasons that this idea I'm going to share appealed to me so much. Now, I do believe Christmas should be extravagant, because God's gift to us was EXTRAVAGANT! But, Christmas-time seems to get busier and more expensive every year, and even more so as I collect more children! I always worry that we are not emphasizing the REAL meaning enough, because the kids' wish lists get longer and longer, and my budget gets stretched thinner and thinner. I read this idea in a parenting magazine, and LOVED it! Here it is: Give the children THREE gifts: one "gold" gift (the big item they've been longing for); one "frankincense" gift (for spiritual and mental growth); and one "myrhh" gift (for their body, like clothing). It will help keep spending down and focused, but also will help keep our eyes and hearts on the the birth of our Savior, and the gifts brought to Him. Here is my take on this : I've decided that I cannot just drastically CUT to 3 gifts (they might freak), so I'm going to wrap up one big "gold" box with a few items in it, etc...I am also going to have one big "family" gift box with games and things the whole family can enjoy. I discussed this idea with my 8 year old, and I honestly thought she would not be on board, but she actually loved it! I also assured her they would still get spoiled by grandparents, etc.. (that helped!) I just think this is such a sweet idea. I'm also going to do a little homeschool thing in December on the gifts to the Christ child to help solidify the concept. I am now actually excited for the shopping and classifying of the gifts!
