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Do you want a heartfelt Christmas filled with meaning?
There’s a lot of pressure to have the perfect Christmas by buying the perfect presents, having the perfect decorations, being the perfect host, and having a perfect family singing Christmas carols around the perfect tree. No wonder Christmas is so stressful and we’ve lost the essence of heart and meaning of Christmas!
You can have a heartfelt Christmas filled with meaning and impacting the world at the same time. Here are some ideas that are guaranteed to feel good (and take the stress out of fighting the hordes at the mall)!
“Anything that has real and lasting value is always a gift from within.”
~ Franz Kafka
Gifts that really give
Make a difference at Christmas by giving something special to your friends and families that give a whole lot to those who have great need. You can buy a goat, donkey, bunny, or chicken, or a sanitation or emergency kit, or a tree, seeds or garden tools, or warm clothing and shelter, or educational supplies, or a mobile medical clinic or wheelchair, or fishing kit and tons more! What a fun way to shop and you can do it in your pajamas from the comfort of your home. They also send a gift card to the recipient, telling them of your gift. Also, some gifts are multipled up to 12 times at World Vision Canada, thanks to the generosity of some Canadian companies. As an added bonus, you’ll get a charitable tax receipt that you can claim on your income tax.
World Vision – www.worldvision.ca in Canada (click on ‘Gift Catalogue’),
www.worldvision.org in the United States (click on ‘Gift Catalog’).
Oxfam – www.oxfam.ca inCanada, www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com in the United States.
Foster Parents Plan of Canada – www.fosterparentsplan.ca/WaysToGive - click
on ‘Gifts of Hope’; or Mercy Corps in the United States – www.mercycorps. org
Shop at Ten Thousand Villages. They are not-for-profit and partner with thousands of artisans around the world to bring us beautiful fair trade items that help provide income in places of need. They have over 160 shops across Canada and the United States so to find a shop near you, go to www.tenthousandvillages.ca in Canada, www.tenthousandvillages.com in the United States.
Give a gift of time
Go to a local seniors’ center and offer to help elderly shop. Maybe you can sit at a computer with them and help them get their shopping done online. Or, if they are mobile, take them to a local mall and help them shop in person.
Get a group of people together and do some Christmas caroling! It’s a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. Find out people shut-in through talking with neighbours, and local churches, and go carol in front of their house (or ask if you can go into the entry way).
Go to someone’s house that is elderly or homebound and help them decorate their place. Most people have boxes of Christmas decorations and those who are not able to put it all up themselves, would love to enjoy a decorated home and see those items boxed away throughout the year if someone would just help them put it up. Remember to go back after the season and help them put them away!
“The greatest gift you can give someone is your time”
~ Rick Warren, author of ‘The Purpose Driven Life’
Gifts from the heart
Instead of a store bought gift, give personalized gifts from the heart such as making up a coupon book. Coupons can be for breakfast in bed, a massage, running a bubble bath, 
homemade cookies, a hug, shoveling the walks, etc. etc. This is a really great idea for anyone, but especially kids to make for their family members. It gets them thinking about what Mom and Dad, or brother or sister, would really like (develops empathy), gets them designing coupons (develops creativity), and then the fun of giving something the recipient would love (develops a sense of power and the feeling of how by giving we get back even more in good feelings).
Do you remember what gifts you got last year?? Probably not, but this next idea will definitely be remembered and hardly costs a thing! Make an appreciation book or box! I’m tired of hearing how great people were at their funerals. Let’s tell them while they’re living!! Take pieces of paper and on each one, write something you admire or appreciate about that person. If you want to make it more fun, include others that know that person and have them write a paper (or 2 or 3 or more) as well. If you want, take colored pieces of paper and cut them into different shapes to liven it up. I’m going to make an appreciation box for my Mom this Christmas and include others in on the fun. I can hardly wait to see her face as she reads through it!
“There is more hunger in the world for love and appreciation than for bread.”
~ Mother Teresa
Just remember—
“Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”
~ Dale Evans
I’d love to hear your feedback on this first issue, or if you have further ideas of how to have a meaningful Christmas (for next year’s Christmas newsletter), please leave in the comments section or email me at merna@impactwithheart.com.
May you have fun creating a heartfelt and meaningful Christmas!
