It’s that time of year again. The holiday music and Christmas decorations that have been out since August finally seem relevant, and people are strategizing their holiday shopping. It is a time to be with family, give thanks, and eat a lot, but most importantly, it’s the perfect time to teach your children the idea of giving.
The first Christmas my husband and I shared back when we first started dating, we started the tradition of venturing to a local bookstore and purchasing books for kids on the Angel Tree. That is, we picked an ornament from the tree marked with age and gender and bought several suitable books. Since that time, we have played “Santa” for several underprivileged children, donated to multiple soup kitchens, and continued with our book purchasing.
Once we had our oldest, it seemed obvious that we would continue these activities and do our best to involve her in them. Here are some activities we will likely do again this year and some opportunities for your children to get into the spirit of giving.
1. Book Donations
Last year, we stopped at a local bookstore. While they did not have a giving tree similar to what my husband had done in the past, they were collecting books for the pediatric wing of Norwalk Hospital. We explained to my daughter that we would pick out some books for kids who were sick and needed cheering up.
She had a blast picking out books, so much so that at one point, my husband eyed the growing pile of books with a bit of disbelief, but we couldn’t say no as she skipped around the store picking out more books, proclaiming they were for the “sick kids to make them feel better.”
If you are on a budget or want to restrict the gifting to a particular dollar amount (hindsight is 20/20), provide your children with some limitations (for example, let’s pick out three books or pick out your favorite book to give to another child).
2. Toy Donations
Perhaps the most obvious (or second most obvious behind food drives), but toy drives abound during the holidays. Most such drives request new toys, so this isn’t the time to unload your gently used toys, but it does provide an opportunity to take your child shopping. Explain to them that they are picking out a toy for someone who does not have any toys or as many toys as they do, and let them take ownership of selecting what will be donated.
3. Food Donations
There is ample opportunity to contribute to a holiday food drive, particularly around the holidays. Whether it is donating a turkey for Thanksgiving (speaking of which, the Bridgeport Rescue Mission is in desperate need of turkeys) or donating non-perishables to any of the numerous soup kitchens and shelters in the area.
Contributing to a food drive could be a great first step to introducing your children to the act of giving, particularly if you fear a meltdown in the toy store aisle (or anywhere) once they realize that you mean that the toy isn’t for them. You can even go “shopping” in your pantry or cupboards to select items to be donated, but make sure to explain what you are doing and have them help you pack the items up in a bag or box for donation.
Great post.