December 16, 2009

Curing Gottahaveititis

Kids love Christmas, and it’s easy to understand why. They are excited about all the presents they are going to get. Getting them to focus on the real meaning of Christmas can be challenging. This year we have put forth a little more effort in establishing or carrying on some traditions that will hopefully keep our boys from getting a bad case of gottahaveititis. We adults get this frequently too (like when I am in the Apple store). Here are a few of our traditions.

1. Get the shopping out of the way early, so the gifts aren’t the focus. Tiffany was done with all our shopping before December arrived. She’s a rockstar!

2. Light advent candles each night at the dinner table while discussing the Christmas story. If your kids are pyromaniacs like mine, you have to work at this to make the story more interesting than the lighting and blowing out of the candles.

3. Attend a Christmas Eve worship service.

4. Teach them the traditional Christmas hymns about Christ, and not just Rudolph and Frosty.

5. Think of others. Some of the ways we have done this is by “adopting” a needy child through Compassion International, giving a shoebox of gifts through Operation Christmas Child, and sponsoring an Angel Tree child.

6. When looking at Christmas lights, we roll down our window and give extra applause the ones that have a nativity scene.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition to cure gottahaveititis?