Coach Mom Newsletter - DEC 2012
I have always desired
to come up with ways to help my family have
the right perspective on Christmas. I want
us to have the chance to serve out of
gratitude of God’s great gift, sharing the
joy of the message of Christ’s birth. But
when my children were small, I felt like I
was more trouble than I was worth if I
showed up to help with all my little ones in
tow. Acts like serving meals to the homeless
were out of the question at that point.
Following are seven
ideas to share the joy of Christmas that I
think that families with children of almost
any age can do. I don’t think you can go
wrong with any of these ideas, especially if
you can express to recipients along the way
that you are remembering the birth of Christ
this way – “He came to bring us his gift and
we wanted to bring you a gift at Christmas.”
Pray and ask the Lord what He would have you
do to share His love this season. Perhaps it
might be one of these:
-
Make cards
and deliver them to the homebound,
widows, or residents of nursing homes.
These people rarely get to see children,
so a visit from a child is a gift in and
of itself. A hug or a handshake gives
them a touch many are so desperate to
have. Singing a Christmas carol is icing
on the cake (they don’t care how it
sounds.) And as they enjoy the cards
after their visitors are gone, it
reminds them that they were not
forgotten during the holidays.
-
If sending
out family Christmas cards, add to the
list five new names of people who
especially need encouragement this
season. It might be someone who
lost a family member this year and will
have their first Christmas without their
loved one. Or it might be a recent
divorcee, someone in for an extended
hospital stay, or a family going through
hard financial times. Say a prayer for
them as you write their card and let
them know you are praying for them. A
note on the refrigerator might even be a
reminder to pray for them daily the
entire month of December.
-
Provide
money for your children to give.
Give children elementary-aged or older a
certain amount of money, whether it is
$10 or $30, and challenge them to pray
daily about who the Lord might lead them
to give it to. This is a great lesson in
the way Christ-followers should always
live – knowing the Father owns
everything, and provides resources for
his children to be generous with others.
-
Host a
“Cookie Decorating Party with a Twist”.
Invite neighbor children over to
decorate gingerbread cookies and hear
the Christmas story. Resources
such as the interactive nativity set
What God Wants for Christmas (FamilyLife
Publishing, 2005) might serve as a guide
for telling the Christmas story while
sharing that God wants to have a
relationship with everyone.
-
Participate
in the Prison Fellowship Angel Tree ®
Program. This program works
through families in churches to provide
Christmas gifts for local children of
prisoners. Prison Fellowship staff work
with prisoners, collecting names and
addresses of their children. Church
volunteers then call the homes and ask
for specific gift needs or wishes –
usually one item of clothing and one toy
– of each child. This program builds up
the relationship between the prisoners
and their children because the gifts are
presented as from the absent parent. It
also provides a way to share the Gospel
with hurting families, and serves as an
example of Christ’s love to the parents
behind bars. To learn more:
http://www.prisonfellowship.org/programs/angel-tree/.
-
Give a gift
to an impoverished family in a third
world country. Better yet, give
that gift in the name of a friend or
relative. Organizations such as World
Vision, a Christian humanitarian
organization, make it easy to do.
Catalogs and websites list giving
options, such as two chickens for
twenty-five dollars that provide eggs or
five fruit trees for $30. Also, two
rabbits for $32, which can easily
produce 50 rabbits to eat in only a
year. Smaller ticket items are also
available, such as fast-growing,
drought-resistant seeds for one family
for $17. Encourage children to pick
something they can personally give,
using money they have earned from chores
or their allowance. Corporate donations
allow gifts to be multiplied as much as
twelve times for items such as new
clothes. That means a $35 donation to
World Vision equals $420 worth of new
clothing for needy children worldwide.
Click here to donate at
WorldVision.com.
-
Invite
friends to join your family on Christmas
Day. Christmas can be one of
the loneliest times for those unable to
be with their own families. As
newlyweds, Chris and I lived more than
one thousand miles away from our parents
and siblings and were unable to travel
that year. December days passed and the
reality that we would be away from our
families for the first Christmas was
depressing. A dear family from our
church asked us to join them that day.
Though we shared only a few hours with
them that day, we were thrilled to be a
part of their family gathering. The
highlight was the Christmas story
reenacted by the grandkids.
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This unique nativity
charger, designed by Robert Stanley, is
lighted and includes a display stand. The
charger is 17 ¼ inches in diameter and uses
a night light bulb to light the plate.
Special
thanks to Hobby Lobby of Allen, TX, for this
donation.
For a chance to win, go
to
Amazon.com and make a comment about the
Coach Mom book under ratings/reviews. Then
email
Brenna with “Nativity” in the
subject line.
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Visit
Brenna's blog for ideas on
remembering the true reason for the
season.
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