So when when my first born was still a babe, her father and I decided to change our tradition. Her second Christmas found us tree-less and in the local nursing home on Christmas Eve and Morning. It had come to my attention that these homes for the elderly were mostly vacant at these times. That’s when the families were all celebrating together at home, a natural thing to do, of course.
We hugged on the seniors. We sang to them and chatted with them and shared our love.
The next year we had a six month old along for the ride. Again we went to the nursing homes on Christmas Eve and Morning. WHAT JOY TO BRING COMPANIONSHIP TO THESE LONELY PEOPLE ❤
Although we had no judgement of others, we wanted to try something to facilitate raising our children to be givers and so, decided to forgo the present at this time of year. Throughout the year we would collect things* on our nature walks and then the children would glue them to construction paper to give as gifts to the seniors. The things* included pine needles, leaves, tiny rocks, etc. They had so so much fun delivering these “gifts” and the seniors SO enjoyed receiving them from these tots.
One year we heard of a family in our small community that was having a hard time. The father, had left the mother and three children, a couple weeks before Christmas. He had closed out the utilities and taken the deposits and split. The town rallied and collected enough to get the utilities back on. When we heard this our children were four and seven by now. We had a little fund we used for “missionary projects” and so I asked our children if they wanted to buy presents for them. YES, was the answer, even though they themselves had never received Christmas presents.
We had $200 and they were so excited on our trip to the bigger town down the road. I stopped to drop something off for a young mother, and while I was in the kitchen with her, my children were talking to her husband in the foyer. When we got in the car they were bubbling over. After they excitedly shared the mission they were on, this man opened his wallet and gave them an additional $50. They giggled as they reported, he said he too, “wanted to be part of the FUN” ❣
We had one more stop and this time, Tiffany Amber and Travis (yes, they have names) came right out and asked if this person wanted to be part of the FUN. Sure enough, after telling the story, they got another $50. So when we walked through the doors of JC Penney they had $300 to spend on the children. We had their ages and so off they went picking out slippers and PJs and socks and whatever they enjoyed gathering. The receipt would be part of the gift, so they could exchange for whatever sizes they needed.
On Christmas morning they were SO SO SO excited to deliver the gifts. As we stood on the porch, both children’s arms were filled with wrapped presents and they were squealing. Our knock was answered by a somber group. All eyes lit up as Tiffany and Travis announced they had some gifts to give them. Invited in we watched as sad faces turned to Joy ❣
A few years later, when they were seven and ten years old, they asked if THEY could have presents like their friends at school. We were happy to shift our tradition again and enjoyed a Peaceful gift exchange. Their grandparents happily sent a couple gifts and we got them each something meaningful. They said a prayer of appreciation for the giver of the gift before opening.
Those holidays are filled with memories I cherish. Our children both truly embody a giving spirit. Tiffany Amber came home from college one year on Christmas Eve and I was immersed in finalizing the construction of two homes, both due for possession on December 24th. When I looked at her and announced I hadn’t had time to go shopping for the holidays, she smiled and said, “not to worry mom, if I get bored, I’ll find a nursing home and go give some hugs!”
My heart was filled with such joy, satisfaction and pride. Yes, this unusual path has produced two amazing adults who are givers in the true sense of the word.
Laura's BeachHouse Blog 