Tuesday, November 30, 2010

A season for giving...

The Desire to give
I feel different this Christmas, usually I am running around trying to find the perfect gift for everyone, the absolute most awesome gift, I always feel this need to make everyone happy, it’s a curse i‘m sure of it.
But this year, I am feeling more compassionate that anything, maybe its my mothers illness, maybe its because Hudson is getting older by the minute and I want to teach him compassion, and giving, and that Christmas isn’t just about what he GETS, But what he gets from GIVING.
This year as far as gifts are concerned I really paired down, I am more content on getting people stuff they really NEED, and maybe some little surprises too, but nothing too big, just stocking stuffers.
I am giving to the toys for tots campaign at work, making an extra donation to the Animal protective league and saying yes to when a cashier at the store asks if I want to donate to St. Jude Children's fund or some other childhood cancer fund.
This sort of thing makes me FEEL good, better than getting a gift I probably don’t need. Don’t get me wrong I DO have a wish list lol.
I thought this idea below from I am mamma Hear Me Roar, was cute to do when Hudson gets a bit older.It's and advent banner, each little bucket contains a good deed to do and a peice of candy that they get after they do the daily good deed. Just to teach him kindness and helping out.




I am also concentrating on buying Handmade gifts whenever possible this year,that’s my idea to giving to others also, because I would want people to buy MY stuff if I had it listed on etsy.


The other thing on my mind lately is how amazing it is that having a child will make you question your beliefs . I was raised catholic, I no longer consider myself as such, but I was always taught that Christ was born on Christmas and about the nativity and all that, the older Hudson gets the more I am trying to figure out just how I will explain Christmas to him, I do not consider myself religious but spiritual rather, I believe in a higher being and good to mankind and karma, but I don’t know how much biblical info I still believe. I wanted to have a nativity set, because my parents always had one and I grew up with one, my mother, knowing that I am not a real holy roller,bought us a dog nativity set two years ago, complete with a baby Jesus golden retriever and three wise men, that whole thing.
I am questioning exactly how I will explain it to Hudson, Bill and I do not want to force any beliefs on him but rather give him some information that has been passed down to us and let him foster his own beliefs from that. Still it’s scary and somewhat amazing to discover that maybe what you were taught all your life you don’t exactly believe.
I guess my only goal for Hudson is to teach him to be a good kind man, give back and have compassion for the less fortunate. If I can accomplish that, then I think I’ve done my job.