With Christmas fast approaching everyone begins decking the halls, and crowding the aisles of local stores. I have found myself dragging my feet, and avoided the stores as much as possible. A lot of it could be chalked up to my first Christmas without my darling kids, but the more I think of Christmas the more determined I become to change what it has become. I want the traditions I grew up with, and some I didn’t to be alive again with the love, spirit of giving, joy, hope, and peace. I am not able to make all the changes this year, but I can get a head start for next season.
Spirit of Giving is going to be the first thing I change. Going to a store picking out an object, spending money, and sometimes even having someone else wrap it is not the spirit of giving. It is however the spirit of material items and money matters more than time and love. What happen to handmade or homemade gifts and Christmas cards? The gifts given with more love and spirit are the gifts you create. We just don’t think about Christmas or giving until the season arrives then we don’t have time. Giving is not one day out of the year, but a yearlong season of love. It’s about taking time away from the TV, computer or phone to create something out of love. There are always excuses that can be used like “I’m just too busy”, “I don’t know how to make things”, and my favorite “It’s cheaper to just buy something”. Everyone is “too busy” the question is what can you not do to make extra time. Think about all the times you sit waiting on the doctor, the kids, or the time you spend entertaining yourself. These are times that you can multitask and make something. Handmade Christmas cards, crotchet scarves, hats, etc…hand stitch pieces of fabric for a quilt or clothing. You can also use this time to read and learn a new gift, and that takes away the “don’t know how.” Instead of spending a large sum right away budget $10 or $20 a month to go towards materials for the gifts. Imagine being able to spend $10 a month, add in your love and time, and making a gift worth over $120.00 instead of the $20 you would have spent. For several projects you could make two or more gifts on the $10 a month budget.
Joy, Hope, and Peace: These are three items on a holiday list that rarely become filled. It is a list I have set as a high priority goal for not only Christmas, but a year round, every day goal. I want to see the Joy in other’s eyes, the Hope for tomorrow expressed in their actions, and a Peace of mind that can conquer any struggles life can deal. I am only one person so I can’t fulfill everyone’s list for these, but I can begin with one person, and then another. I can start with my family, then friends, and then will who knows. Do you remember the movie “Pay It Forward”? That little boy bringing such Joy, Hope and Peace to others even those he never meet. I believe when you bring Joy, Hope and Peace to even one person it shows through them, and in turn may bring Joy, Hope and Peace to someone you have never meet.
Love, Spirit of Giving, Joy, Hope and Peace are not only for Christmas time, but for every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every month of every year. In the end “Really it is just life…” but it is so much more when it is “Really it is just life full of love, spirit of giving, joy, hope and peace”. Life is what you make of it while you have it so let’s put the excuses in a box, wrap it up, give it to someone, and see which if any of those five they get from it? Better yet forget excuses and spend the year creating them.
Spirit of Giving is going to be the first thing I change. Going to a store picking out an object, spending money, and sometimes even having someone else wrap it is not the spirit of giving. It is however the spirit of material items and money matters more than time and love. What happen to handmade or homemade gifts and Christmas cards? The gifts given with more love and spirit are the gifts you create. We just don’t think about Christmas or giving until the season arrives then we don’t have time. Giving is not one day out of the year, but a yearlong season of love. It’s about taking time away from the TV, computer or phone to create something out of love. There are always excuses that can be used like “I’m just too busy”, “I don’t know how to make things”, and my favorite “It’s cheaper to just buy something”. Everyone is “too busy” the question is what can you not do to make extra time. Think about all the times you sit waiting on the doctor, the kids, or the time you spend entertaining yourself. These are times that you can multitask and make something. Handmade Christmas cards, crotchet scarves, hats, etc…hand stitch pieces of fabric for a quilt or clothing. You can also use this time to read and learn a new gift, and that takes away the “don’t know how.” Instead of spending a large sum right away budget $10 or $20 a month to go towards materials for the gifts. Imagine being able to spend $10 a month, add in your love and time, and making a gift worth over $120.00 instead of the $20 you would have spent. For several projects you could make two or more gifts on the $10 a month budget.
Joy, Hope, and Peace: These are three items on a holiday list that rarely become filled. It is a list I have set as a high priority goal for not only Christmas, but a year round, every day goal. I want to see the Joy in other’s eyes, the Hope for tomorrow expressed in their actions, and a Peace of mind that can conquer any struggles life can deal. I am only one person so I can’t fulfill everyone’s list for these, but I can begin with one person, and then another. I can start with my family, then friends, and then will who knows. Do you remember the movie “Pay It Forward”? That little boy bringing such Joy, Hope and Peace to others even those he never meet. I believe when you bring Joy, Hope and Peace to even one person it shows through them, and in turn may bring Joy, Hope and Peace to someone you have never meet.
Love, Spirit of Giving, Joy, Hope and Peace are not only for Christmas time, but for every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every month of every year. In the end “Really it is just life…” but it is so much more when it is “Really it is just life full of love, spirit of giving, joy, hope and peace”. Life is what you make of it while you have it so let’s put the excuses in a box, wrap it up, give it to someone, and see which if any of those five they get from it? Better yet forget excuses and spend the year creating them.