I really, really wanna know if its message resonates with you in any way…and if so, your response.
Source: Advent Conspiracy by way of The Mother Letter Project
I really, really wanna know if its message resonates with you in any way…and if so, your response.
Source: Advent Conspiracy by way of The Mother Letter Project
I am so glad you posted this. It’s burried somewhere on the MLP site.
Absolutely! As a single Mom of ‘tweens, it was a joy to hear them say that they really just wanted more time to do “stuff” with me over the holidays: more baking, more crafting, more TIME. My daughter said it best: “It’s funny how we remember the fun in past holidays – but not the gifts”…a 12-year old said that! Totally cool Mom moment!!
I’m showing them this video today – thank you so much for posting it!
You are the second blogger in my reader to post this this week. I cry when I see it.
We all need to be more focused on relationships-not just during Christmas but all year long.
God is doing a mighty thing in my heart right now…I can’t even finish this comment. My head is swimming.
Bless you, Robin and your family. I thank God for you!
Those thoughts have been bouncing around in my head for awhile, really bothering me, but I’m stymied as to how we get from here to there. Acknowledging the problem is the first step. Talking about it is the second. Now what? “Just do it” is too simple, it doesn’t address all the problems. How do we get out of this tangled web? What do we do about those who don’t want to stop giving gifts or stop marketing Christmas and the hype that goes with it? I’ve withdrawn a little and the response is harsh.
I love that little video. I have to admit that we don’t really do a whole lot of Christmas spending. The most money we dish out is for gas to get to our inlaws’ houses. They are the ones who spend money. We rarely even get ourselves much. However, this year my husband got me a laptop – on credit – to be paid off after our tax refund gets here (or BO’s spreading of wealth that he’s promised – whichever comes first).
I do think that most folks spend too much. We used to be in that crowd. We used to go in debt each year buying gifts for everyone in our family… and pay them off with interest year after year. Now we just don’t add our names to the gift exchange and if we have some time and money, we make home make stuff instead – or we bake. I also like to do things with photos. I try and get good pictures of people’s kids and frame them for gifts. That’s my MO. 😉
I honestly dread the gifting frenzy and I HATE the insane traffic jams – the attitudes from people at the stores you dare to go in. We try to avoid the mall at all cost in the holidays. Not to mention the 15 foot Victoria’s secret ads that they have inside the malls. The best memories I have of Christmas are the ones when we had no money – so each person got one thing and we instead stayed up laughing and eating together … enjoying each other’s company. People, not things. That’s what Christmas is about … and that’s why I love Thanksgiving. It is the only American holiday that hasn’t been tainted by retail frenzy. Too bad we all can’t be thankful ALL YEAR – it would make ALL the holidays better.
Our priest actually addressed this last week. Part of his solution, which I also do, is to get all of your gift buying done before Thanksgiving. That way, you are not part of the frenzy in the stores and can spend Advent doing what you are supposed to be doing – readying yourself for His arrival. Long ago, I started the tradition of giving a book, a hard-backed book, for Christmas. This cuts down on my spending and stress and also seems to make it easier on the kids, too.
We spend Advent giving to other people since our needs are already met – and then some.
Thanks for posting this, Robin.
We saw this video at church this morning. (And I had already seen it somewhere else online.) I am inclined to agree. We already have so much more than we need or have room for. I hate giving and getting just because we’re supposed to.
You’re the third blog in my reader to post this! I really appreciated the video each time I viewed it. To be honest, we used to be very out of hand with our holiday spending. Then, in 2005, we traveled to China to adopt our daughter. And that trip made a profound impact on our lives. We are more likely to purchase “gifts” for others by donating in their honor to Half the Sky, Love Without Boundaries or (my daughter’s favorite) to purchase animals through the Heifer Project.
wow….that blew me away. The number of dollars spent compared to the dollars it would cost for clean water….all I can say is wow! We do keep spending really minimal during Christmas, but I know there is always more we can do. Thank you for this!
The adults in our family draw eachother’s names each year whoever we draw, we choose a charity based on their passions/interests to donate money to in their name.
This hit home from me. I get your wonderful posts delivered to my email inbox now and am grateful for it. 🙂
I did see this the other day on MLP and just was blown away by it. It amazes me really – the money spent at Christmas time.
I’m part of it – that is the scary part.
I think I will post it later this week, too. GREAT REMINDER (for me)
It resonates on many different levels. Sometimes, I look around at my life, and can’t believe how blessed I’ve been. SOmetimes it makes me feel guilty.
This year, we’ve decided to send a portion of what we’d usually send on Christmas through Hands of Hope and several other agencies. We are making gifts this year as well.
We are so blessed in America. In general, even the poorest here have more than those in some parts of the world.
I think this year more than any other, it resonates with a lot of people. I’m all for decorating and food and gathering, but all the STUFF is so exhausting and unnecessary. Can’t we just enjoy being together without all the extras?
yes.
yes.
yes.
Yes! I posted it awhile ago, and it still grabs me. Thanks for sharing.
It has moved me every time I’ve seen it.
WOW! Thanks for sharing. This video really hit home with me. We have 3 children all with birthdays around Christmas time. I started overindulging with my first son and I realized what I was doing to him. The meaning of Christmas and relationship was totally left out. He got so much he couldn’t remember who to thank, it was just rip open, shove to the side, and on and on again. It was really quite overwhelming.
I put a stop to it and we buy very little now but I have been trying to find ways to teach them to give back. We really need to be putting the GIVING front and center.
We’ll all be making cookies together this week and I cannot wait! We need more of the simple moments that make the memories.
Danny aka SecretDaddy, Thank YOU for posting it so I could find it!
Nikki, wow…that sounds like a “Mommy Paycheck” to me :).
Headless Mom, a) you blessed my socks off! b) I think God’s at work in BOTH of us right now…seriously.
Valerie, yuck…I’m sorry you’ve had to experience a backlash, that’s a shame. It can be a daunting task if you think about trying to solve the bigger issue; my way to deal with it is to bite of a tiny piece… I can’t change others, but I can change my choices. Still, even THAT’S hard! I’ll share later (today?) about how some of this is being fleshed out in our family. MUCH easier said than done, though…no doubt about that!
Sprittibee, sounds like y’all have already made this “shift”; bravo! We’ve never gone overboard w/spending, but still…we could do with less. Though there are things I “want”, there is NOTHING I need and I’m honest when I say I’d rather do without something in order to make provision for someone else. Maybe not in the “big” things, but in the small.
It’s like piranhas at the mall right now, huh? People are slap crazy.
Sandy, beautiful…and very practical. Nice those two can go hand in hand :).
Karen, Bingo! I DESPISE obligatory gift-giving (and receiving)!
Tonggu Momma, it’s lovely how by rescuing your daughter your lives were changed in a number of ways. I think she rescued you, too :).
Kristen, if nothing else, I think the video DOES help you think creatively :).
Jessica, what a GREAT idea for the adults in your family–a lot of the time, adults don’t need a thing, but the people y’all are giving to? They do! Wonderful idea!
(and I’m thankful you’ve entered my sphere, too :).)
Janel, Let me know if you DO post about this; I’d love to link or read!
Heather, you’re so right–our “poorest” still have the means available that people in other countries can’t imagine. That’s convicting. But…all of us doing our part? Can you imagine what that would accomplish??
Julie, agreed. Excessive consumerism makes me ill; I can barely stand being near a retail venue right now. Except Target. Daggum it, I love me some Tarjay!!
Pamela, xo
Pam, thanks for letting me know!
Sarah, me, too :/. Every blasted time!
Oh, Tanna…you’ve figured it out while your kids are so young! Good for YOU! 🙂
Very touching and so true.
I think any mission project would be a better fit for our money than another lawn decoration, etc.
Paying for Bibles for missionaries, or sponsoring a Compassion child, or giving to Salvation Army, pick a project and do it right?
That is awesome…Spread the word! Wonderful! Merry Christmas!
Yes—So many feel stressed around Christmas time…but that stress is really due to the choices we make.
I saw some of these on another blogger’s site and its what inspired me to do my own Christmas series of posts – about keeping the real meaning and not getting so hung up in BUYING STUFF.
Wow! If this doesn’t resonate with us, then something’s wrong. Seriously. We have very little $$ to spend on gifts anyway, so we remedy that by drawing names in our immediate family. Then we keep our eyes & ears open during this season to see what needs the Lord would have us meet….whether that be a ministry need, an individual without a job, a lonely teenager, or something else the Lord directs us to do. If we’ll just stay sensitive to the needs around us (there are plenty!) and let the Lord meet those needs through us in whatever small way, it’s amazing how this changes Christmas…much more joy.
Absolutely. I wrote about this (much less succinctly and without the philanthropic message, which, hello? Why *didn’t* I go there?) at 5 Minutes for Parenting today. I am all up in the relationships this year. Thanks for sharing this Robin. It definitely hits an important chord in me.
Wow; so glad you posted this video. I hadn’t seen it before but it certainly makes you think. I used to spend so much time, money and energy finding just the right gifts but this year, that’s just not happening. Spending time with people you love is better. And using the money to help others. Amen to that.
Thanks for sharing this Robin, as I said on twitter this morning, I’m going to pass it on (via my blog, email, etc.). This message is too important not to share, especially given the economy & state of the world, etc.
Cheers & Merry Christmas!
C~