Taking Back The True Spirit of Giving

In thinking about my last post, I wondered if any of us are brave enough to this year as the packages are opened from under the tree to announce that next year we want to take back the true spirit of giving and of Christmas.

To make gifts meaningful, personal, and perhaps homemade, with a spending limit for everyone. To pledge no credit card spending, to wrap gifts simply, in the olden days, white tissue with a bit of ribbon was all that was used. These plainly wrapped white gifts gave a sense of purity to the holiday. Food perhaps can also be made more simple, cooking for the holiday itself and not the entire month before. It might be nice for the family to take on a project of helping a family in need, perhaps an elderly person that would fully grasp the heart of a kind deed done in the true spirit of giving.

Change starts with us, one step at a time. We can complain all we want but it avails nothing unless we replace our complaints with something positive, kind and goodly to make things better. You can't take away and not create an empty hole unless you fill the empty spot with something good.

Our very own reactions to the all the things in our lives serves as a teacher. Why are things not special to our children ? Maybe because they are not special to us either. We can ooohh and awww over hand knit mittens if our hearts are truly happy to receive them. We can discover the joy of pulling taffy together with our children, or the test of endurance needed to make a piece of candy last a week. We can refrain from buying everything we WANT and understand the difference in WANTING and true NEED. I have seen it over and over in the plain world. I remember my own children being thrilled with small gifts, or when heading off for a rare treat of french fries at McDonalds was something to get excited about. Not a super sized bag either, but each child happy to be holding a bag of small french fries. I know it can be done, this heading back to a more simple way. We did it. We were all better for it, but now we have slipped back into this gutta have mentality.

Take time on New Years day to maybe write a letter to loved ones, explaining you want to take back the old way of giving and receiving. Perhaps share a story from the good old days to help share the desire to stop the madness of excessive spending.

It always seems a bit strange when you get $25 from someone that you gave $25 to. Its as though the exchange has cancelled out each others giving.

I was thinking that it would be fun to make a box of simple things for everyone on my gift giving list, include a copy of the Little House Christmas Stories, and one simple gift. Wrap it up with plain wrapping, and call it A Little House Christmas present.

If something invaded my home, I would work to take it back... so why not work to take back the goodness, the true spirit of giving that has been stolen by materialism and greed.

I would love to hear from anyone that plans on making positive changes for Christmas 2008, and please share you ideas so we can all learn together.