{"id":27700,"date":"2012-12-06T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2012-12-06T14:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=27700"},"modified":"2012-12-17T15:59:36","modified_gmt":"2012-12-17T21:59:36","slug":"how-to-think-outside-of-the-gift-box-at-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/12\/how-to-think-outside-of-the-gift-box-at-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"How to think outside of the “gift box” at Christmas."},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Advent\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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The other day, I was kindly asked what my children would like for Christmas. So, I surveyed their bedrooms, looked through their toy bins and took stock of their clothes and shoes. But I came up totally empty. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\nMy husband is an unabashed geek and being technologically savvy is the bread and butter of our existence, but we try to keep our kids as unplugged as possible. \u00a0So they don’t have hand held devices or even the Wii, and the little screen time they are permitted is more than slightly policed. \u00a0Scratch out video games, for the time being anyway.\u00a0Feeling a bit lost, I sat down with a catalog that came in the mail, and tried to narrow down a few things. But I couldn’t run away from the vision of the lego debris all over the floor (that never seems to subside in our house), and the matchbox cars that I find under the piano and in my purse on any given day, and the stacks of old board games which no one seems to have the time to play. \u00a0Stacks + Piles + Debris = dusty garage sale items. Eeek. Scratch that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then I began thinking along the lines of practical things, like fishing gear, a tool box, a telescope or an archery set. But those require time to acquire a certain skill, time which is hard to find at this stage of our parenthood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The only thing that makes sense to me is books, since we love to read with our children and reading is my favorite way to spend time with them. If I had to ask for anything, books are the clear winner (cue the confetti!)<\/span><\/p>\n

But stuff? No, we don’t need any more stuff. \u00a0Recently we were generously given \u00a0by family some great new board games, puzzles and a few fantastic movies. I will wrap those up, with some new shoes that I bought for the boys. \u00a0My hubby is launching some secret backyard project, and maybe this will be the year we will get that bike trailer so we can take family bike rides. And we will be thankful! <\/span><\/p>\n

We are a country of blessed abundance, but that can turn into a culture which makes us feel like we are depriving our children, and ourselves, if we are not showered with gifts at Christmas. It is way too easy to get caught up in the commercialism of giving store-bought presents instead of adoring Christ\u2019s holy presence. It can turn into a fanatical frenzy of trying to find the \u201cperfect thing\u201d for everyone, when really the \u201cperfect thing\u201d is simply to spend time as a family worshipping our Lord and sharing loving acts of service with our community.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the spirit of St. Nicholas’ generosity on his feast day today, why not challenge our families to do something a little different this year. \u00a0Children are hungry for meaningful experiences, and really benefit from family growth opportunities. These are lessons that might shape their future careers and families. \u00a0Here are some ideas of how we can think outside of the box with gifts we can bring to Jesus and to each other this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gifts of Service<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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