12 Ideas for Family Sharing/Giving During the Holidays

It's so hard to believe that once again the holidays are upon us. Over the next few weeks I'm sure you'll read article after article about great holiday recipes, gift ideas and even ideas for parties and entertainment.

This article in contrast is about making your holidays memorable by making the holidays memorable for someone else. Many parents become so upset by the commercialism of the holidays, and the idea that the kids become so caught up in "what they will get" for Christmas. But what example are the parents setting to teach something different and/or establish different traditions for the holidays? Here are ten ideas to help to reshape your families thinking about the Holidays. These will be great "traditions" for your kids to pass on for generations to come.

Special Holiday Greeting Cards. These days most of us purchase greeting cards at the store and call it a day. Someof us even go so far as to purchase a stamp, and just stamp our name on Christmas cards. What a shame. When we do this we miss the point of truly sending a heartfelt greeting to our friends, neighbors, co-workers and even loved ones. Here are some tips for making sending greeting cards very special for you and your family.

1. Have each family member write a special note on the cards. Unless you are sending out 100's, this would be a wonderful family project. If you have a lot, consider beginning this project right after Thanksgiving. Special notes will make the receiver feel very special and will be well worth the effort.
2. You may even want to consider making your own greeting cards. You can do this by using stamps and/or make custom greeting cards from your computer. Cards from your computer can include pictures of the kids, a poem written by your family or some other personal touch. Like, make everyone laugh by sending a photo of you at the beach (this is especially funny for those who live in cold climates).

Toys for Tots or Similar Programs - Sit down as a family and review programs such as Toys for Tots, etc. that allow you to either adopt a child or even a family for the holidays. Once you choose a program, be sure to work together as a family on this project. For example, if you choose to purchase a toy for one or two children, go as a family to choose what you will give him/her. If you adopt a family, consider going in with another family or even two other families to cover the costs. You can even go so far as to purchase a tree and ornaments, Christmas dinner and gifts for everyone in the household. Many United Way agencies offer these programs.

Children's Charities - Talk to your children about making a contribution to an agency such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Ask your children to consider forfeiting a gift that they really want this year, and using the funds instead as a contribution. You might also want to consider having the kids raise money for their contributions. For example, they can shovel snow, sale baked goods, etc. to earn money to give. This would be a great project for over the Christmas break when they are out of school.

Love Thy Neighbor - Choose someone in your neighborhood that your family can help or be a blessing to. Do you have a neighbor that is elderly, or a single mom who lives nearby? Perhaps your family can help by shoveling the snow for a week or so, (if you live in the Mid West or North East this would really be appreciated), and/or preparing a delicious meal and taking it over to him/her. If it is someone that is elderly, how about asking if you can all sit down and share a meal together? Perhaps your company alone will be a gift for him/her.

Put Together Your Own Skit/Play - Do you have lots of relatives around you? If so, consider bringing all of the kids together to create a wonderful Christmas performance. What talents do they have? Someone can do a dance (maybe they take ballet or tap), another person can sing and maybe some of the kids can write their own play. Consider calling a local nursing home and/or assisted living facility to see if you can come in and put on your performance. If you can't think of anything else to do, take in several stories to read to the residents. They'll enjoy whatever you and your family do. They'll just be happy for your company.

Deck the Halls - Another wonderful idea is to make door decorations to hand out on your block (just think, everyone will have your handcrafted decoration on their door). You might also think about handing them out at retirement villages/apartments and/or decorating the residents' doors at nursing homes and/or assisted living facilities. This might also be a great project for children's hospitals and or pediatric floors. Here is a link to ideas/patterns for hand-crafted door ornaments/decorations - http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/_xwall.html.

Christmas Abroad - How about visiting a different country during the holidays? No, I don't mean packing your bags and actually going, but how about studying the Christmas traditions of other cultures? For a few nights you can read Christmas stories from Germany, Brazil, Iran, etc., and then have a night in which you share what you've learned with grandma, grandpa and others. Have the kids make a few desserts and drinks from these countries and invite others over to hear about and share in what they've learned.

Rescue Missions - Unfortunately these places find themselves with many helpers during the holidays, but very little help throughout the year. Most of this help will be in serving dinners during Thanksgiving and Christmas. If they do have enough help, ask what special projects your family can work on during the holidays like organizing the food pantry, working on a toy drive and/or helping in the clothes closet. If they are short on food, maybe your family can make an effort to drum up support going door to door in your neighborhood or soliciting support at your church. Lastly, they may have many to serve dinners, but not a lot of people to clean up afterwards. Maybe your family is up to the task.

The Bereaved - The holidays can be a difficult time for someone who has lost a loved one over the last year. Do you know of someone who is recently widowed, or maybe of a mom/dad who has lost a child? Come together as a family and decide what you can do to brighten his/her holidays. It can be somthing as simple as taking over a movie you know they'd love, along with a bucket of popcorn and spending the night with them. Try not to think of things you can just buy, more than likely your time is what they will need most. If you think they'll be alone, be sure to include them in your holiday festivities. Isn't there always room for one more?

Christmas Caroling - What ever happened to the days of Christmas caroling? Get together with a few other families, or gather kids from the neighborhood or your church and go caroling. The kids will never, ever forget the fun. End the night by sharing some hot cocoa and fresh baked goodies. This will be fun for everyone!

Day After Christmas Shower - Don't you just love the after Christmas sales? How about having an After Christmas shower? Here's how it works. Your family chooses someone (maybe a neighbor, grandma, a struggling college student, etc.) and you all choose to shower them with gifts. Go shopping the day after Christmas and everyone see how many meaningful gifts they can buy that person for say under $10. Not only is this a lot of fun for you and the kids, but great for the person on the receiving end.

What Does Christmas Mean To You - If you are a Christian, Christmas has a very deep and significant meaning for you. If you are not a Christian, this holiday may be significant to you in regards to gathering with family and/or remembering to care for and share with others. Be sure to take the time to talk with your child(ren) about what this holiday means to you. They'll be sure to pass it on.