Have you ever tried to get your kids into the Christmas spirit by encouraging them to write a letter to Santa, only to read that letter later and realise that you need to extend your bond to meet expectation? If so, you have probably created Christmas monsters! Playstations, iPhones, hover boards and drones are not what Christmas is all about. It’s time we reintroduced some heart, some soul, some quality vs quantity.
How do we build a more meaningful Christmas? Here are some steps to achieving meaning over materialism.
Thanksgiving
- Gratitude Advent: Christmas is a time to take stock and realise all that you should be grateful for. Together with the traditional Advent Calendar, and the daily bite of chocolate, each family member can say or write something which they are thankful for. This will make the traditional countdown to the 25th filled with more love and gratitude.
- Home-Made Christmas Cards Only: The rule should be, no bought cards or tags! They are banned this year. Every child, and even adult, must make a member of their family a homemade Christmas card. Encourage your kids to consider the person they are making the card for: what they like, what makes them happy, their favourite colours, things they say, and the reason why you love them so much. Set up a crafters table with coloured paper, pencils and glitter and watch the love unfold.
- Personalised Christmas Tree Decoration: In the run up to Christmas, you could hold a pre-Christmas ‘Bauble Ceremony!’ - like an awards ceremony but with dangly Christmas “trophies”. Look for tree decorations or baubles that have meaning to each person- they do exist! For instance, my husband’s first car was a Volkswagen kombi, and we found him one with a Christmas tree on top. We have also seen Dinosaur Santas, Christmas turtles, Pizza decorations and even a dangly gin and tonic for mom. This exercise is fun and helps everyone really think about the people in their family.
Sharing
Do Good: Make it a family exercise to select a dedicated charity for the year and get everyone to work towards helping that charity. Non profit organisation also didn’t have it easy the last two years and they are struggling to make ends meet. Look at your options: the local old age home, an orphanage in town, or your local SPCA. Your family’s time, collection of goods, monetary contribution or even just a visit will make a huge difference to others and to the spirit of your Christmas too.
Caring
Thoughtfulness: Get your family to take a moment to think of a special friend or family that might need something extra these holidays. Is it someone who had many financial challenges this year? Is it someone who had to bury one of their loved ones? Perhaps a jar of ‘thought cookies’ would mean a lot. The cookies could have words such as: Love, Caring, Happiness, Friendship, or even their names on it. Maybe a delivery of some grocery items to their door might be the splash of hope they need. Perhaps you could even invite them to your family dinner to show you really care.
Kindness
Kindness Elf: In many homes the Elf on the Shelf is responsible for fun and crazy mornings, after late night Elf shenanigans. From messing cereal all over the kitchen counter to wrapping the Christmas tree in toilet paper, they keep us on our toes. Perhaps this festive season, the Elf and his friends could rather send messages to our kids of suggested acts of kindness. Here are some to consider:
- Today we spread the Christmas cheer, say a special thank you to the car guard and the shop cashier.”
- There is no time to be a bore, surprise your sibling by doing their chores.”
- Choose one of your teddies or a special toy, and give it to a child to spread the joy.”
Studies have shown that kids who engage in random acts of kindness are more likely to be accepted by their peers. Their good deeds improve their well-being and help them develop positive perceptions of their world.
Gifting
5 Gift Rule
Every year there are heaps of gifts under the Christmas tree. This brings so much joy to young and old, but in this journey of rethinking our ways, perhaps we can think of gifts that won’t blow the budget and gifts that will be appreciated. Why not stick to the “5 Gift Rule”:
- Something you want
- Something you need
- Something to wear
- Something to read
- Something to do
Experience
Instead of material things why not wrap an experience? Like a flight ticket or a day trip to the Zoo? Print the tickets or vouchers out and wrap them up beautifully. When the kids finally get to redeem the gift, even if it is weeks later, it still feels like Christmas to them. And the best gift you could ever give is memories.
May this Christmas be meaningful to you and your family, and may the kindness and thoughtfulness extend beyond Christmas. Norman Wesley Brooks said: Christmas is forever, not for just one day, For loving, sharing, giving are not to be put away, Like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf. The good you do for others is good you do yourself.”
