During
the holiday season, time is a prized commodity and the preciousness of family
is (hopefully) paramount in our minds. How is it then that we get so carried away
with things that are not of lasting significance? I wonder too. Are you ready
to make a change? Lets tackle this now and relax sweetly into the holiday season
while visions of sugarplums dance in our heads. First,
take some time now to discuss with your family what you truly want out of the
holiday season this year. Perhaps it is a good time to introduce or reinforce
the original meaning of Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate). Maybe this
is the year your family breaks the cycle of overspending and chooses a simpler
holiday that involves more time with family and friends. For
instance, I know one family who chooses to give three gifts to each child for
Christmas representing the three wise mens gifts at the birth of Christ. The other
giving that is done is to those less fortunate. The focus in this family is on
the original meaning of Christmas - the celebration of the birth of Christ and
enjoying time with loved ones. Another
way to get more significance out of your holiday is to create and enjoy some family
traditions. Do your children look forward to certain things each holiday? A few
of my childrens favorite holiday traditions include making a gingerbread house,
baking Christmas cookies, watching Christmas movies by the fireplace and decorating
our Christmas tree while drinking hot chocolate and listening to our favorite
Christmas CDs. Childhood memories themselves are a precious gift to give our children.
Here are
some ideas in case you are looking for some new traditions to start: *
Go Christmas caroling with your friends or neighbors * Roast chestnuts over an
open fire *
Make Reindeer food (dry corn, glitter, bird seed) and have your children scatter
it on the lawn on Christmas Eve *
Make Christmas ornaments to keep or give as gifts * Attend church service on Christmas
Eve * Have
everyone put on their favorite PJs and drive through town to view Christmas lights
while singing (or listening to) your favorite Christmas songs. *
Go to a Christmas play or to a live nativity scene. In
addition to family traditions, here are some other ideas of holiday significance
your family can try: *
Adopt a needy family or elderly person to brighten their holidays. *
Take cookies to a nursing home and have your children sing carols. *
Sponsor a child in another country for the holidays and beyond at: http://www.compassion.com.
* Deliver
homemade goodies with a smile to the homeless or those less fortunate. *
Invite single neighbors or friends to holiday activities. *
Work in a soup kitchen feeding the hungry. And
for gift giving, celebrate less gifts and more substance with these ideas: *
Give coupons for free childcare to a couple that could use some time alone. *
Give "gift certificates" for a hot meal prepared by your family. * Draw names
instead of purchasing for everyone in your extended family. * Give to a charity
on behalf of a family member. Check out: http://www.charitygiftcertificates.org/
and http://www.justgive.org/. *
Help hungry families feed themselves at: http://www.heifer.org/
* Make gifts
with your children such as: - Frames, flowerpots, art, self-portraits, family
photos and more. Visit these sites for ideas: http://familycrafts.about.com/
and http://www.kaboose.com/ *
Have a silly (White Elephant) gift exchange instead of buying presents. Ask everyone
to bring something from home that is no longer wanted and needs a new home. (The
sillier / funnier the better.) When everyone gathers, draw numbers to see who
picks a gift first. Follow in order until everyone has a gift. The person whose
turn it is can choose to take a gift already opened instead of choosing a wrapped
gift. If
so, the person whose gift was taken gets to pick a new wrapped (or open) gift.
Continue until everyone has had a turn. Just remember whatever your family chooses,
choose to create lasting and warm memories that you and your family will cherish
for a lifetime. Our families and our time together are precious!
Lesley Spencer
is founder and president of the national association of Home-Based Working Moms
(www.HBWM.com), the HBWM.com, Inc. Network of Websites and author of the Work-at-Home
Workbook. She
has a Masters Degree in Public Relations and has been featured in numerous media
outlets including CBS News, Forbes, Business Week, Parents, Wall Street Journal
and USA Today. She has been working from home for over 10 years and has two children
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