As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach us, I can't help but plan menus and presents. We're finally getting to a point in our lives where finances are starting to ease up and I can breathe easier around the holidays. For years we've had a meager Christmas budget. I have to confess this depressed me. It seemed no matter how hard we worked, we just couldn't get ahead. (Having three kids back-to-back drains more than just your energy.)
A friend of mine told me about how she saves up money every year to go out to dinner and bless their server with an extra-large tip during the Christmas season. That really made me think. Here I was all excited to get the kids bigger and better presents this year, and I hadn't thought much about teaching them why we celebrate this holiday season. We may feel like we've finally "arrived," but now my goal is NOT to go crazy. We'll get the kids a few presents each and probably make presents for our grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc. to keep it simple. I really want to teach our kids from a young age to give. Caden, our oldest, is getting old enough now to really learn about giving and helping others. What I really want to do with him is set aside some money to bless another family and have him help me shop for them.
A lot of people give to charities over the holidays or participate in "Operation Christmas Child" and the like, but I like to give on a more personal level. When I was a kid, my family didn't have a lot. There were many times when we survived on the charity of others, and more than one Christmas was had because someone else blessed us. I'd like to do the same. At this point, I don't know how much we can do, or even who the Lord will lay on our hearts, but I'm hoping that we can bless someone else like I was once (or twice, or more).
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