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CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 2006
Parents: Teach Ylfflir Kids li
Give The Gift Of Themselves
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Creating hoi- ,
iday traditions ?
that teach kids
to give rather
than receive i 5
will instill
selflessness in '
them, strength-
en the family and
establish lasting
memories.
Christmas traditions and celebrations date
back to over 4,000 years ago, according to
holidays.net, an online resource for holiday
celebration information. And many were
celebrated centuries before Christ was bom.
The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires,
the Yule log, the giving of gifts, parades with
floats, carolers who sing while going from
house to house, the holiday feasts, and the
church processions can all be traced back to
the early Mesopotamians.
Today, parents still celebrate some of those
same Christmas traditions with their families
amid the fun and excitement of exchanging
gifts. Parents can instill lessons of humility
and selflessness in their children by reinforc
ing the idea that it is often more rewarding
to give than it is to receive. This will help to
create new Christmas traditions that can be
passed down throughout generations.
The following are some ideas from
PageWise.com that can help parents get
started with creating some family traditions
of their own.
GIFT GIVING
Encourage family members to create gifts
themselves, in addition to the ones that
they purchase. You can find books that are
full of homemade gift ideas at the library or
bookstore especially in the children's sec
tion. Your kids will take pride in their gifts
if they've spent time and energy in creating
them.
Or set up a Secret Santa gift exchange
among family members. Since your chil
dren probably don't have much money,
allow them to focus their efforts and funds
on one person. Draw names out of a hat,
but tell them to keep their name assign
ments a secret. You can expand a Secret
Santa exchange to include service. Tell your
children to do something in secret for their
person each day: make a bed without being
noticed, stick a note in a lunchbox, iron a
shirt, etc.
For neighbors and friends, give plates of
homemade cookies and fudge. Choose an
evening close to Christmas (or an entire
day if you're really gung ho) and have the
children help you make and frost sugar
cookies, bake fruit breads or stir fudge. Then
assemble paper plates with a variety of your
r\
fly " ;
P taking turns running
up to your neigh
bors' doors to deliver
them. If your family
enjoys singing, deliver your plates of
treats on your Christmas caroling route.
SERVING OTHERS
Opportunities abound for serving others,
and making service a family tradition at
Christmastime can help your children devel
op lifetime habits of service.
Adopt a family through a local agency
(Red Cross, county welfare programs, etc.).
The agency will provide you with the names
and ages of the family members you choose
to "adopt." Sometimes, they'll even give you
a wish list to guide your purchases. Take
your children with you when you shop for
this family and have them help you wrap
and deliver the gifts. Your children will learn
how wonderful it feels to sacrifice some of
their own gifts for others.
A nursing home is a wonderful place to
visit during the holidays. Your children will
lift the spirits of the residents simply by
being themselves. Take small gifts or candy
canes to distribute. If your children play
musical instruments or like to sing, put on
a show at a local nursing home. Call the
nursing home ahead of time to schedule an
appropriate time to perform.
DECORATING
Christmas decorations not only bright
en' homes, they also remind you of past
Christmases and happy memories. The fol
lowing decorating ideas can easily become
family traditions.
Encourage your children to make a special
Christmas tree ornament each year, replete
with their names and year (i.e. Victoria 2005).
Every year, when you decorate the tree, they
will be proud of their contributions.
Spend an evening during Thanksgiving
weekend making a gingerbread house,
and continue to do so each year. Take pic
tures of each gingerbread house and keep a
Christmas memory scrapbook. The kids will
love looking back at all of their gingerbread
houses and remembering each year's con
struction.
Don't be a dark spot in your neighborhood.
Brighten up the season with Christmas lights,
and involve your children in putting them
up on the inside and outside of your home.
Drive around the neighborhood, looking at
all the lights.
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