The Season of Giving (and a Giveaway)
My brother Shepard died of cancer on November 29th, 2000. That year, several families did a 12 Days of Christmas for us.
I never found out who it was (although my parents may know), but I still clearly remember what a happy thing that was during a fairly difficult Christmas season.
I’ve always wanted giving to be part of our family Christmas celebrations, so when Kohl’s contacted me a few months ago and asked if we’d be interested in being matched with a family that needed some help for Christmas and picking out gifts for them at Kohl’s, Bart and I immediately said yes.
Two weeks ago, we received the information about the children, their sizes, a few things they wanted for Christmas, plus a gift card to Kohl’s to purchase the items, and yesterday the girls and I met Bart at our local Kohl’s during lunchtime, and we spent about an hour picking out items for three children in our area.
(Although these kids are young, they are substantially older than my girls, so it kind of broke my heart every time Ella picked out some toy she thought was the best and said, “Would those kids like THIS?” and I had to tell her that, no, it probably wasn’t quite the right toy for a nine-year-old boy).
I was really glad Bart came along, because he helped make sure we picked out a good combination of practical things like jackets and fun things, like a remote-controlled helicopter.
Also, I had saved a 20% off coupon that had come in the mail a few weeks ago, and when the total after the coupon came up as $149.55 (our budget was $150), Bart and I both possibly did a little cheer in the checkout lane.
Then we sat in the car and had a little picnic lunch with some sandwiches I’d packed, which was just a ridiculously nice forty-five minutes as a family.
This afternoon, we’ll drop off the bags of gifts at the local charity that we’re working through and we’ll cross our fingers the clothing fits and the toys are fun. And feel grateful for all we have – we are so very very fortunate.
This post wasn’t sponsored (although, I guess I do have a Kohl’s gift card with 45 cents on it. I’ll try not to spend it all in one place). Kohl’s provided the gift cards for us to buy the presents and the gift card for the giveaway. All words, pictures, and cute children are my own.Â
Aw, what a great way to teach your kiddos about giving! Love it!
Agreed! Lovely way to teach them about the season.
I have been a long blog lurker for you and your sisters. Keep up the great work! PS. Your kids are freakin adorable 🙂
I love this idea! We have a baby girl and my husband and I have been discussing how we'd love to do something like this every year.
That DOES sound like a great family outing!
What a fun way to teach your children about the spirit of Christmas!
Awesome! My church does (as I'm sure many do) an angel tree full of kids in local orphanages and care communities. It's so much fun to pick out things for the kids- and always puts my own holiday shopping in perspective.
You may have just started a family tradition. I'm glad you let the girls be involved. Love their big smiles and happy faces.
My husband and I were able to participate in something similar to this through my work last year and it was so fun! It was nice to be a part of helping others have a part of Christmas that they wouldn't have otherwise had.
We always did the 12 days of Christmas for a family growing up. This post just reminded me that we should start up that tradition again. The girls would love it.
What a great cause. We are doing the same for a family in our area
That's wonderful that ya'll were able to help out some other families this year. We didn't get on board with the angel tree fast enough, but I'm hoping we can still contribute to a church collection this week to help some families in our congregation.
That is so awesome, we did 12 days of Christmas to several families growing up and we really loved it.
What a fun thing to do with your kids at Christmas. I remember doing the twelve days of Christmas several times as a child. It was always such a rush to knock and run.
I said just yesterday to my 12 year old "the feeling you love when you GIVE lasts so much longer and means so much more than the feeling you love when you receive." What a great thing, to give to others.
I love the giving tree at church every Christmas. It really is what the season is about.
So fun that your girls get to be included! A wonderful way to instill a since of generosity!
Sounds like a fun family activity.
Such a great family activity! I've had the same (but opposite) problem with my 6 year old boy trying to pick out a gift for a 14 year old girl! I love that their hearts are in the right place, even if they have no idea what would actually be best.
Fun! Although is a little sad that Ella's picks weren't exactly right for the recipients. Good hustle, Ella.
Our church is associated with a ministry that helps teenage moms, and they do a "shopping event" in early December where the moms get to buy things for themselves and their families using fake "bucks" that they earn through meeting their goals throughout the year. I signed up to donate a toddler winter coat and a toddler backpack, and dude! So much CUTE stuff is out there!