I am back from a vacation and depressed to be in the cold weather again. But….it's getting to be time for Christmas and you know what that means - celebration! I don't know about you, but as we're all older, the people in my life pretty much have everything they need and most of what they want. What do you get the person who has everything anyways?
It isn't about the STUFF. All these gadgets and shiny things and bells and whistles aren't important. Perhaps you realize, as I have come to, that the want to acquire things just isn't there anymore. Rather, I have the want to pare down on all I have accumulated over the years. I have the want to have Christmas mean what it was intended for anyways: joy and love and family and celebrating Jesus.
Celebrating Jesus can often get lost in going out on Black Friday for that big screen TV. We can get more caught up in what we are doing than why we are supposed to be doing it. I would like to instead remember the true spirit of giving that Jesus showed us, in thinking about others and giving to those who need it most. There is a special way to remember your family these holidays and to help the poor, as He did.
Honor gifts are a wonderful way to do just that. I first became aware of World Vision around this time of year when I got a World Vision gift catalogue in the mail. I read about the different types of gifts you could buy: fish for a fish pond, a bike so a girl could go to and from school safely, hope for sexually exploited children, seeds and training so a farmer could feed his family and earn a living, ducks that could lay eggs to feed malnourished children, a sewing machine so an HIV positive widow could make items to sell for herself and children. There were many, many other things in this catalogue, and all I could think was WOW. What a way for me to make a difference.
Honor gifts are where you buy a gift from the gift catalogue in someone else's name, and that person gets a card sent to them telling them about your gift and how it is helping to make a difference in someone's life. I think it would be pretty cool to know that someone thought of me and gave money for something in my name, and that something is changing a person's life somewhere in the world. It's even a great idea for the little ones who are still expecting Santa and toys, it can be about giving baby Jesus a present for Christmas by purchasing something in the catalogue, too. You can ask them about what present they would like baby Jesus to have this year.
Little ones understand about toys and the joy they can bring to children by playing with them, there is an option in the catalogue to buy soccer balls for children that would otherwise play with balls made up of rolled up trash and leaves. That can be a great way to teach them about bringing joy to another little boy or girl's life playing with the same toys that they like to play with too. All around - whether you have little children expecting things this year, or have older people like I do that already have everything, you can remember them as well as remember someone in need this year.
There are also gifts that come with gifts, as well. There are items like jewelry, fair trade coffee, beaded ornaments, and others that you will receive the item to give to someone and help those who made it at the same time. There are so many things to choose from, I know you will be able to find different gifts that relate to the people in your life. I encourage you to go to the World Vision website to look through the options.
Happy Holidays, and thank you for thinking of others.
