how to tackle comsumerism

my friend (behind the gate) read this and inspired me to follow suit.
so, this was my first read of the new year..... how to make christmas more christmas and not more shopping. as we dialogue with friends about the days following christmas and having the 12 days leading to epiphany to spread out the christmas loot and struggling with breading in our children more selfishness and consumerism... this little book struck me with simplicity and honesty. it is not just about not spending... but the manner in which we spend.

these are the questions that it raised for me: is the nature in which i celebrate this time of year one that teaches my children to be generous? am i in fact trying to find ways & places to be generous in my own celebration of advent? am i more concerned with giving the perfect gift for an individual OR spending time on a gift to show someone that they are significant.... (i have struggled with feeling lame about presenting hand-made gifts in the past when in fact they take much more time and energy than amazon.com). am i willing to teach my kids how to "make" their presents for others because it is about time and not money?

it all raises issues in my own heart of pride and wealth, thoughtfulness and generosity. all good things to think about as i reflected over the holiday season.

Comments

Anonymous said…
i think it is funny how skeptical i was of this book because of its size (kind of like a "prayer of jabez" size, right?). but there was so much great stuff in it.

though i do have a few issues with it. like i thought it was interesting he kept saying all that we do should be "fun." so if the nursing home depresses you, don't go. hmm... not sure about that. but definitely great on the whole.

and i totally get what you mean when you say you feel lame giving someone something handmade. i even had a nervous moment when i handed my 7 yr old niece the gift i made her. crazy what our society has made us feel self-conscious about!
9:24 PM EST
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