Tis' the season to be jolly, merry and REALLY well behaved. Why? Because everybody knows Santa or The Elf On The Shelf, will be watching to make sure your good behavior is rewarded with........PRESENTS!!!! Now wait just a second.......record scratch! Is this actually what we're teaching our kids? What about teaching your children that it's important to be a good person all year round without the expectation of presents? Okay, so I'm no saint over here either. In the past when I've been desperate, I've used the Santa card like the best of them. Sadly enough, it's one of the best remedies to a full blown temper tantrum. But believe it or not, when we pull the "Santa's watching" out of our bag of parental tricks, we're giving the guy a bad rap.
Santa Claus is known for eating cookies, giving gifts in just one night and checking his list to see if you've been naughty or nice. Boy does that story help out consumerism. But what if, as parents, we took a stand and told a different story? What if we could use Santa's actions as a lesson to our children, rather than giving into the insanity of a commercialized Christmas? What if we could concentrate less on being rewarded for good behavior and focused more on what Santa Claus does?
In our family, we have the double whammy of Channukah and Christmas, so the gift giving can get a little nutty. Over the years, we've tried to teach our children that the holidays are not about gifts or about being rewarded. Unfortunately, society and family traditions, make it really difficult. But this year, we're changing our story and using Santa as the ultimate example of what a selfless person can do. How his actions can teach us how to open our hearts and give without expecting anything in return. How we can make this holiday season less about us and more about others. That's why my children this season have decided to take two gifts off their list so we can use those funds to help people in need.
The holiday season and Santa Claus is an opportunity for us to change the story and make a difference as parents. To teach our children what this time is truly about. I will no longer use Santa Claus as a good reward tactic when it comes to behavior, but as a selfless guide who teaches us how to love, give and expect nothing in return.
In our family, we have the double whammy of Channukah and Christmas, so the gift giving can get a little nutty. Over the years, we've tried to teach our children that the holidays are not about gifts or about being rewarded. Unfortunately, society and family traditions, make it really difficult. But this year, we're changing our story and using Santa as the ultimate example of what a selfless person can do. How his actions can teach us how to open our hearts and give without expecting anything in return. How we can make this holiday season less about us and more about others. That's why my children this season have decided to take two gifts off their list so we can use those funds to help people in need.
The holiday season and Santa Claus is an opportunity for us to change the story and make a difference as parents. To teach our children what this time is truly about. I will no longer use Santa Claus as a good reward tactic when it comes to behavior, but as a selfless guide who teaches us how to love, give and expect nothing in return.
Our family has chosen Alternative Gifts International, where gifts offered in the "Gifts Inspiring Change" catalog are unique. They are gifts of peace and justice, gifts that are sustainable and that build security. These alternative gifts multiply and grow, sometimes exponentially, and offer hope and new life to people facing grave crises and need. They challenge the trivia of our modern culture. These are authentic gifts that people really use and cherish. They always fit and are never thrown away.
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