Short Christmas Sharing Poem

by Wendy
(Burke, VA, USA)

Christmas is our family's favorite holiday. To keep it from being a blur of latests (toys, sports gear, electronics), I came up with a way to make the holiday more meaningful. It's something that's even more relevant now that the kids are teens.

We donate food to the local food pantry, and the kids do the actual shopping. It gives us a chance to talk about things like poverty (and the causes) and good (and bad) nutrition.

When the kids were young it was a simple lesson: it's important to share with the less fortunate and food is a basic need.

As they grew, we talked about how food builds our bodies and the importance of nutrition.

When they were young, I gave each child a small budget and guided each of them through the shopping process. Now that they are old enough to babysit and have part-time jobs, I suggest a budget of about 10% of their earnings for the previous year, and then match the amount they choose to donate.

We still do the shopping as a family activity, but now the kids drive to the food pantry to drop off our donation. They are active volunteers at church and in the community. One of them is now volunteering as a food sorter at the very pantry where we donate.

Sharing with others has added meaning and deepened our family's sense of joy at Christmas!

Short Christmas Sharing Poem

Hear the bells, Christmas bells,
ringing through the town.
Add to the love which gratitude swells
and banish miserly frowns.

Hear the bells, Christmas bells
and answer with all your heart.
Share and love, the story tells,
and each can do their part.

Hear the bells, Christmas bells,
which ring a call to give.
As water refills flowing wells,
the more we give, the more we live.