Do you long for a simpler, more meaningful Christmas this year? Are you tired of the stress and commercialism of the holidays? Gifts From The Heart: 500 Simple Ways To Make Your Family's Christmas More Meaningful by Virginia Brucker (Insomniac Press, 2006) offers 20 chapters chock-full of useful tips, traditions, recipes, crafts and other resources to help you make your holiday more meaningful. Twenty-five per cent of the proceeds of the book will be donated to research funded by the Canadian Cancer Society.
The following is excerpted from the book.
The gift of giving
Organize a warm coat collection. Do any necessary mending and wash or dry-clean the coats. You may find a local dry cleaner will volunteer to do them for free. (If so, make a large poster thanking the cleaner for his/her help to be displayed in their window. Perhaps their customers will bring in more coats!) Publicize your coat drive in the local newspaper. When the coats are ready to be distributed, tuck some warm mittens or gloves and a Christmas treat in each pocket, and donate your collection to a local shelter, The Salvation Army, a preschool or needy school.
Host a "giving party" where children or teens get together and make cookies, small gifts, ornaments or cards to give away.
Volunteering as a family
Donate items your family has outgrown such as a crib, bedding, baby clothes, or baby toys along with some baby food or diapers to a local shelter.
Make craft kits with the instructions and materials necessary for the holiday project. Wrap the top and bottom of a shoebox separately to put the items in, and donate the kits to the children's ward of your local hospital.
Making time
Get your car serviced in November so that you don't have to worry when travelling over the holidays.
Plan some activities like skating, tobogganing, or outdoor walks to collect evergreens for wreaths. Exercise helps minimize stress. Your children will enjoy the time with you, and will be better behaved if they are using up some of that extra energy
The gift of gratitude
Show your children that little pleasures such as sipping hot chocolate while reading a good story together are to be savored. They will learn to appreciate everyday joys.
Speak positively of your friends and family in front of your children. They are more likely to become kind, appreciative people if you do.
Fighting the 'gimmies'
Let your children buy their toys with part of their allowance. Kids become smart shoppers fast if they are spending their own money.
When your children ask for something, acknowledge their wish. "Wouldn't that be nice? Let's add it to your list." Closer to Christmas, ask them to highlight the three items they really want.
The gift of tradition
If you are having a family gift exchange, you'll enjoy this game. Each family member brings a gift that costs less than $5. It should be suitable for any member of the family. One person reads The Night Before Christmas aloud. Every time he or she reads the word "the," everyone passes his or her gift to the person on the right. At the end of the story, each person opens the last gift they were passed.
Invite friends to a wreath- or cookie-making session each year.
When your children are a little older, write a family poem or song each Christmas. Use the tune from a song everyone knows, like "Jingle Bells." Keep a copy for your scrapbook or put it on tape.
Oh Christmas tree
Some "tree traditions" to consider:
Sing the same carol in front of the tree after you've turned on the lights for the first time.
Let children have their own tiny Christmas tree in their room to decorate as they wish. Use some shiny gold garland rather than electric lights.
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