So, you know that you want to live small and GIVE BIG but it doesn’t mean that everyone else around you is necessarily on board. In Kiwi Magazine’s November/December issue, Thomas P. Farley gives these suggestions for getting the rest of your family– especially your children- on board with the idea of alternative giving for the holidays.
1. Enlist your partner. You can’t make a significant change to your family tradition without your significant other on board.
2. Prepare and involve the family. Way before Christmas, sit down with your family and talk about alternative giving and how it can positively impact the world. Brainstorm how you as a family might engage in the issues or activities that make you passionate.
3. Alert the extended family. They need to know what you are planning so that they can participate in a meaningful way (rather than sabotage with a crate of Wii games).
4. Get one fantastic thing. Don’t go cold turkey on Christmas morning. Instead of giving your children 18 gifts of marginal interest to them, give them one thing they will just love and then concentrate the rest of your efforts on giving alternatively with their interests and passions in mind.
5. Watch the movies that remind all of us of the true meaning of the season. Younger kids might like A Rugrats Chanukah or A Charlie Brown Christmas. Older kids might enjoy It’s a Wonderful Life and everyone can agree on The Grinch that Stole Christmas.