I Want That! One Mom's Plight to End Materialism

OK, I'm probably not the first person to say it, but Christmas has been turned into the most materialistic holiday. It use to be about family and togetherness; now it's about who can spend the most money. Visa obviously loves the holidays; it takes an average of 4 months for a credit card user to pay off holiday bills. And why not? It's easier to hand over the plastic than to see that huge wad of Christmas cash get thinner and smaller. People are so focused on buying, buying, buying that they have lost the true spirit of giving.

Not only that, but children are being bombarded with commercials advertising all the latest toys. Every commercial my kids see, they say, Mom! I want that!" Their Christmas lists are longer than Santa's naughty and nice list. I got really, really tired of my kids screaming, "I want this!" at every commercial for every toy that came on TV. They seemed to be missing out on what really mattered: family, and helping others. What was I going to do about it, though?

First, in our house, Santa doesn't rule the roost. Santa brings our kids ONE gift. Yep, I said it. Santa brings them one, only one, gift. When I tell people about this, you wouldn't believe how many gasps I get, as if I'm neglecting these poor children. Believe me, with 3 sets of grandparents, my kids are anything BUT neglected at Christmas time. We tell our kids that Santa brings gifts to children because he was so overjoyed by the birth of Jesus that he wanted to do something to help celebrate this momentous event, so he started giving presents out to all the children. That way, the focus is off Santa, and back on the real reason my family celebrates Christmas.

Second, we go through our kids toys and donate them to various charities. I know, whoopee, right? My kids help us go through their toys and choose which ones they are parting with. I explain to them that there are some children who can't afford toys, so we are giving some of our toys so these children can have something to play with. My oldest son, who is seven, doesn't complain. He helps me go through the toys and says goodbye to each one. "Goodbye, GI Joe. You've been a good toy. I hope you make someone else just as happy as you made me." It really warms my heart to see him willing to part with his belongings for the sake of other children. My other two are still a little young to understand the concept of donating toys, but they are still very involved. One day they will be old enough to understand, and I sincerely hope they will still consider those who can't do much during the holidays. (And as a side note; Christmas time isn't the only time we donate to charities. We donate clothes year-round to various charities, such as Goodwill, and we are involved in our area's local school supplies drive every year).

One last thing we do is we adopt a Christmas Angel off the angel tree. For those who are not familiar with this program, it is a program set up by the Salvation Army where a child's name is placed on the Angel Tree, along with clothing sizes and toys on their wish list. Parents have to apply for their children to be on the Angel Tree, and according to the Salvation Army, "Some families are being served by The Salvation Army because they are experiencing financial troubles, while others are facing hardships because of illnesses or drug use." For some children, the Angel Tree is their only hope for having any kind of Christmas. We pick a day to go shopping and my kids all help pick out clothing and toys for the angel. We wrap the presents together and take them back to the Angel Tree at our mall. They understand that we are helping a child whose parents can't afford to buy them presents for Christmas. My oldest son pointed out one year, "Mom, we're really lucky to be able to get all these neat things for Christmas. Some people can't afford it." (OK, so it isn't the most thought-provoking statement, but he's seven.)

I'm not saying my kids don't scream, "I want that!" when a commercial for the hottest toy of the season comes on TV. They are kids. But, I can honestly say that they understand about giving, and aren't so focused on getting every toy in the toy store during the holidays. Not only do we get to help others who are less fortunate than we are, but we get that much-needed quality time together. And THAT is better than any gift wrapped in pretty paper, in my book.