Last year we began making our transition as a family to a different Christmas, one that was Christ centered and giving focused. I shared the stories of our journey to a different Christmas, and you can read them here.
It wasn’t easy to make the change. The kids were used to seeing an excessive amount of gifts pouring out from under the tree, spilling well into the living room. They were accustomed to giving us their wish-lists, and hearing our, “Yes.” It has been a delicate balance trying not to make it seem like a punishment, while cultivating a giving — rather than getting — culture in our home.
One thing I have learned, is some children and people have a natural bent toward being generous, and it’s not something you necessarily have to teach. Others not so much, and it’s not something you can force. It’s a work of God’s Spirit in the heart of the individual.
But, as parents we can lead by example. One of the ways we have chosen to do so is through a little tradition we began last year — choosing Gifts of Hope. It has quickly become my favorite, and I am already looking forward to next year’s selection.
It’s simple, really. We have a red tin that sits in the kitchen. In it we collect loose change throughout the year. I encourage everyone to add, as an offering, any cash they might have, also. We don’t count it until early December, when each of us to chooses a gift from the World Help: Gifts of Hope catalog.
“Every item in the catalog has been researched and hand-picked for its ability to create sustainable change. When the only reality you have is the hopelessness of abject poverty, these gifts are absolute life-changers.
We’ve seen entire communities break free from the chains of poverty through something as simple as livestock. Dozens of single mothers in Rwanda are now supporting their families with vocational degrees. Malnourished children are back in school. The opportunities to inspire hope are endless…for every item purchased, we get to reach into a hurting life with the transcending power of hope, a taste of the eternal promise God has for us.” Claire Riss, World Help
It feels a lot like how Christmas should feel when we open that tin, and choose gifts for those in need, gifts that give hope.