Christmas is.... giving.

I am so excited to kick off this week's series, Christmas is { __________}.

I hope by the end of this series, you will be refreshed and have some fun and applicable ideas with how to keep Christmas meaningful, simple and intentional so our hearts can focus on what Christmas really is about.... Jesus!

The best way to start off this week long party is by having Janna from Denim and Dandelions come on over to talk about how she makes gift giving simple and meaningful this year.

We all want to give that special gift and she has some great tips.

Janna is inspiring to me with her witty sense of humor, her gracious heart and her love for her sweet family and the Lord. She is also one of my dearest friends.

Thanks to Nancy for letting me give a sneak peak into our home as it relates to Christmas giving.

Giving…it’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Christmas.  I tell my kids that we give to others in celebration of the birth of Jesus, when God gave us the most special gift of all.  While most of us probably enjoy the act of giving, it sometimes becomes overwhelming and stressful – not only on the pocketbook, but also due to the pressure to find the perfect gift for the special people in our lives. 

Today, I want to share some ways that I’ve reduced my own stress level associated with Christmas giving.

1. Keeping the kids expectations in check while instilling a spirit of giving 
Buying for my own kids.  A couple of years ago, I heard of the Want, Need, Wear, Read approach to buying for the kids.  I’ve followed this pretty closely the past couple of years, and it’s a great tool for keeping the kids expectations realistic and staying within budget.  Here is an example of what Want, Need, Wear, Read will look like for my kids this year:

	10 year old boy	6 year old girl
want	trip to winter church camp	pillow pet
need	snow boots	new flip flops
wear	swim gear for swim team	bath robe (from brother)
read	wish list book (from sister)	a couple of wish list books

As you can see, I don’t try to spend exactly the same amount on each kid.  The value of what they want comes from their enjoyment of it, not the price tag.  Additionally, if there are other things on their wish list, I simply communicate those to the grandparents or aunts/uncles who ask.  Sure, we do the Santa thing,  but we place more emphasis on the birth of baby Jesus.

Teaching the kids to give.  Although my kids have friends who get extravagant gifts for Christmas, I don’t feel like I’m depriving them by keeping it simple in our house. I’ve even had the discussion with my oldest about our own values and why our Christmases may not look like some of his friends.  We also discussed how there are probably kids in their own school who would be grateful to simply have food to eat during the holidays, let alone gifts under the tree.  As a family we discuss ways we could contribute to helping others instead of making insane wish lists for ourselves.

Some ideas for this year are Blessing Bags (kept in the car for handing out to the homeless), our church shoebox event for Samaritan’s Purse, and picking a non-profit to which we can donate.  Demonstrating the joy of giving by helping others is the best way to show my own kids how blessed they are.  One of my good friends makes it a family affair to sponsor a World Vision child – this is something I really want to do as a family for the long-term.  Choosing a non-profit to support or a name from an Angel tree are other great ways to give at Christmastime.  I believe that creating awareness of the less fortunate and encouraging giving of ourselves teaches kids to be satisfied with less material things.

2. Buying and Budgeting for everyone.

Buying for friends and extended family.  This has been the year of buying handmade for me.  These are some favorite gift items for friends or family this year, most of which were handmade items for less than $20, and all were ordered online.  Sources are below.

Sources: blue collage 1, 2, 3 and 4 & green collage 1, 2, 3, 4.

Read on to find out which of these handmade shops are featured in today’s GIVEAWAY!

 3. Make a list and check it twice.

To make sure that 1) I don’t forget anyone and 2) I budget, I use technology by creating a spreadsheet containing everyone I need to buy for, how much I want to spend, and some gift ideas.  From my own family to the gardener and mailman – anyone getting a gift is on my list.  Planning and forethought is the name of the game.  As I buy for those on my list, I color code them and note what I bought lest I forget and duplicate!  Each year I use the prior years spreadsheet as a template so I’m not reinventing the wheel every fall when I start shopping.

4. Creating traditions: the gift that keeps giving.

When it comes to the immediate family, I realize that 4 years from now my kids won’t remember getting a certain gift, but they will remember the fun things we did together.  Our traditions are simple – baking cookies after school, reading Christmas books, and watching movies while sipping cocoa with marshmallows are treasured activities in this house.  I guess it boils down to the fact that my time is the most treasured gift I could give them, and in giving to them, I’m the one who is doubly blessed.

All this talk about giving has put me in the mood for a GIVEAWAY! 

Two local shops have donated these beauties.  There are lots of ways to win a Sosobella necklace (made to order with your initial on a 16 or 18” chain) and some gorgeous Paper and Bobbins Christmas goodies (2 pinwheels, 4 tags, 2 extra large notecards, and a 7 ft. garland):


Simply leave a comment to be entered.  For additional entries:

1) like Sososbella and/or Paper and Bobbins on Facebook
2) follow Nancy here at The Goat and The Kid.
3) follow Janna at Denim and Dandelions
Be sure to leave a comment for each of the above.  Check back throughout the week for MORE giveaways.  Winners will be announced on Friday.

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Don't you just love this sweet Alabama girl?

Now, go give Janna a little shout out and get in on this rad giveaway.
 Checking off some of those folks on the Christmas list is always so satisfying. 

Come back this afternoon for another special guest!