Giving and Getting

It is the week of Thanksgiving and I can happily say that I have not listened to a single Christmas song yet! I always try to put it off as long as possible because I know by the end of December I'll be so sick of those songs that I can't stand it. I'm still sick from last year of that song about the boy who wants to buy shoes for his dying mom. WHAT ARE YOU DOING SHOPPING WHEN YOUR MOM IS ON HER DEATH BED?!?!?

I digress...

Have you made your Christmas list yet? Have you had your kids make their list yet? I have always hated Christmas lists and I never could figure out why until today. I saw a bunch of ads for the sales going on this Friday and I kept thinking, "I'd like to have that! OH and that! Oh that would be nice!"

Last year, I went shopping on black Friday. Know what I came home with? A new TomTom GPS... for myself! Ok, I also got some gifts for Megan, but my main goal for getting up so early was to get the unlimited maps edition TomTom for myself.

So today it hit me... I'm REALLY selfish. How did I get this selfish? Why am I so concerned about what I'M going to get for Christmas? And I think I had a revelation.

I think we do our kids a disservice when we have them sit down and write out a list of things they want for Christmas. We are basically enabling our kids to think of their wants and desires and by doing so, we are ingraining in them this idea that Christmas is all about what you got for Christmas. It's usually not till later in life when we try to come back and say, "Oh by the way Christmas is not about getting, it's about giving!" But by the time we try to teach our kids that, we've already told them, by our actions, that it is all about getting. Kids learn much more through observation than they do through instruction.

So I'm proposing a twist on how we normally handle our kids Christmas lists. Instead of having them sort through the online store or the news paper ads to come up with a list of stuff they want, have them sort through all that stuff and come up with a list of things they think each of their family members and friends would most enjoy. If you have two kids, have them come up with a list of items they think their brother or sister would appreciate.

And you do the same thing! As you see the ads this season, resist the temptation to think about how much you would enjoy it, and instead, try to decide which one of your family members, co-workers, or friends could benefit from that the most.

If everyone in your family does this, you will have a list of presents to buy all of them. Then watch your kids on Christmas day and see how they react to one another. Hopefully, they'll still get really excited to open up their gifts. But my guess is that they might get equally excited to see the joy on their siblings face as they watch their sibling open up a gift that they picked out.

Like most of my ideas, I'm sure there are lots of problems with this one. Feel free to pick it apart and point out the realities of what might happen if we did this. Maybe this is a dumb idea. But if you don't like this idea, then reply to this blog and give me your own ideas for how we can bring back the true spirit of Christmas... which is giving.