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December is right around the corner, and Christmas lists are flying through the mail in true first-class fashion. This is the time of year children live for — the pre-season warm up, scouting out toys in the ads and trying to remember that good behavior counts.
Parents are used to giving — it’s part of the job. Whether it’s time, money or attention, most mothers and fathers spend a good portion of their resources serving and caring for their children. But children have to be taught the fine art of service. There is no time better than the holidays to sneak in a few extra lessons on giving. Here are a few ideas to spark the real Christmas spirit of giving with your children this holiday season.
The Christmas Ghost
This isn’t your typical ghost. The Christmas Ghost sneaks around doing nice things for other members of the family. Using either a wand or some tangible artifact to represent the Christmas Ghost, someone starts by secretly doing some act of service for someone in the family, like making a bed, and then leaves the Christmas Ghost marker behind. That person then follows suit and does some act of sneaky service for another family member. Children and grown-ups alike can snatch the wand when it’s out of play and practice “striking” random family members, always keeping it a secret. It makes service a fun family game, perfect for the month of December.
Donating
Talk to your children about donating their toys to the local thrift store or to a family with young children who benefit from a collection of well-preserved toys. It’s not about de-junking; have your kids choose toys that are well cared for and special. There’s a feeling of satisfaction that comes from giving your best to someone else.
Manual Service
Whether your neighbors are American or German, anyone can benefit from an extra dose of holiday kindness. Work together as a family to remove snow from a neighbor’s walk before school, or sweep the street for an elderly person. Just be sure to work together. Service that requires an extra bit of manual effort brings as much, or more, joy to the givers as they do the receivers. Don’t worry if your kids start out grumpy, you will end with a feeling of family togetherness and accomplishment that will leave every member with a smile.
Christmas Angels
If the Christmas Ghost isn’t your thing, try Christmas Angels. At the beginning of December, put everyone’s name into a bowl and have each person in the family draw someone. Keep the names a secret. Explain that during the month you will be secretly doing nice things for your person. At some point during the month, have a special gift exchange where everyone reveals who he or she had and gives that person a special present. Have them write a personal letter or draw a special picture to go with the gift. This works well with both little kids and older children, and the letters are far more valuable than anything you can find at the BX.
Tailor an Activity
It doesn’t matter what your family likes to do together, there’s a way to use it this Christmas. If your family is musical, have them perform at a hospital or church event. If they like to play sports, plan a special activity where you can help out at a preschool by playing with the children. If your kids are artistic, have them make Christmas cards for neighbors. Every family has something to offer. Find a place to use your hobbies to bring joy to others.
Friendship Dinner
Invite a family that is new to the area, or that has a deployed parent during the holidays, for a pre-Christmas dinner. Have your children help with all the preparations. They can make invitations and plan the menu (Mexican, anyone?), decorate the table and help with the cooking. Learning to give friendship is one of the most important things to teach.
Let kids earn it
Help your kids earn their own Christmas money. Have them each set a goal of how much they want to earn then encourage them to find extra babysitting jobs or dog walking opportunities. Give younger children special Christmas chores, like cleaning the car or clearing out summer flower boxes. Make “Shopping Spree” jars for everyone to store their Christmas funds and then invite each child on a special “shopping date” with Mom or Dad to privately spend their money. This gives kids a sense of pride and ownership on Christmas morning.
Christmas Letters
Sit down with your children one night and write letters to grandparents or relatives expressing holiday wishes with love and gratitude on paper. There’s something special about getting a real letter in the mail, especially in today’s super tech world. Teach children the importance of saying “Thank you” in ink.
Tasters Night
If you live on the economy, you’ve likely had to reach out to your German neighbors for help. For those Germans who have welcomed you into the community, have your family plan a Tasters Night with American holiday food and invite them over as a “thank you” for their kindness in accepting you into their culture.
‘A Christmas Story’
Try taking your children to a Christmas production like “The Nutcracker” or “A Christmas Carol.” This year, the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center has nine showings of “A Christmas Story,” running the first three weekends in December. This a great way to make a family memory and teach children about giving.
Handmade gifts
Instead of taking them shopping for their friends or grandparents, encourage your children to come up with handmade gift ideas. For friends they can make pencil blocks (a drill and a block of wood), home cooked play dough or key chains. Use fabric markers and decorate handkerchiefs for grandpas or aprons for grandmas. The Internet is a live wire of hand-crafted kid creations, a little research and some extra time will yield a super special gift.
