The Joy of Giving

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As we head into the holiday season one thing I want to make sure I teach my kids is about the fun that can be had in not only getting gifts but in giving as well. Of course, it is fun for all of us to receive presents but I don’t want our focus during the season to be solely on what we are getting for ourselves. I love giving gifts. I enjoy the hunt and thought that goes into finding the perfect gift.

I want to impart the love of giving to my girls and this season there are a couple of ways I’m going to try to do that:

  1. Going to the store to choose gifts themselves. I am all about Amazon Prime and the ease of gifts just showing up on my doorstep without me having to search multiple stores. However, for gifts that are specifically from my kids to their grandparents, cousins, etc. I want them to have the experience of picking it out themselves. With my 5 year old, I will help her brainstorm things that person enjoys and ideas she has for their gift. Then we will go to the store together and she has the main role in actually selecting the gift. Of course I guide her when needed and make sure we stick to our budget but for the most part, she is in charge. The excitement she then has when that person opens the gift is exactly what I want. We have been doing this for a couple years now and she is always so proud to bring that gift to our family gatherings. Last year, I even taught her how to wrap them herself! I’ll start introducing this concept to my 2 year old this year but for her it will mostly consist of asking questions in the store and letting her hold the present she “chooses” in the cart. You have to start somewhere! 
  2. Buying gifts to donate. There are many places around the city such as churches, schools, and other organizations that hold toy drives or seek people to adopt families and kids for Christmas. Our church participates in a program to purchase gifts for families in need so every year we choose some cards from the “giving tree” and set off to purchase gifts. Just like with gifts for family members, I want my kids to have an active role in choosing these gifts, so we all head to the store together. We also talk a lot about why we are buying presents for people we don’t necessarily know and how we want to bless them this holiday season.
  3. Participating in community service projects. This is a new one that I am incorporating this year because my oldest is at an age where this is possible and she understands what we are doing a little more. Throughout high school and college, I was constantly volunteering and looking for community service opportunities. I have gone on trips as well as served locally and it has always been something I have been passionate about. I’ll admit that after having kids, I have not been as active as I’d like in this area so I’m hoping to bring it back and involve my kids, too. This year we are going to head to Matthew 25 Ministries to serve but I know there are so many other opportunities out there. 

These are just three ideas of things I am incorporating into our holiday season to promote giving and to make that more of a focus in our family. I hope you’ll join me and let us know what you are doing with your kids this season to share the joy of giving!

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Allison Leland
I am a wife and mommy to two sweet girls ages 4 and 10 months. I work from home part-time as an art teacher for a local online school. As a Cincinnati native I love this city and am so thankful to be raising my family here. I love getting creative with my four year old and letting her run wild with paint and lots of other art supplies. I am passionate about encouraging creativity and art making at any age. When I am not crafting or having adventures with my little girls, I love organizing, decorating, shopping for a bargain, exploring new places for family fun around the city, cooking, and searching for local restaurants with great food. I also run an Etsy shop, be tees. by AJB (https://www.etsy.com/shop/AuroraJanesBoutique), with my sister selling screen printed baby and toddler apparel.

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