On her blog, author Ellen Painter Dollar talks about her family’s involvement in the Angel Tree program at their church, and how it has helped to shape her kids’ view of Christmas – and her view, as well:
My children talk and talk about how the kids will love their gifts. They also ask why a mom or dad would be in prison, and who takes care of the kids while they are. I’d like to think that, besides learning that other kids don’t have as much as they do and that it feels good to help someone, my children are also learning that prisoners are not nameless “bad guys,” but whole people who love their children. If it were up to me, I might skip the Angel Tree giving. I could be confident that no child would be left ungifted, because there is plenty of interest in the Angel Tree within my church. And it’s one more thing on my long to-do list. But for my kids, it’s an indispensable ritual of Advent.
The author says that she has considered forgoing Christmas gifts in an attempt to get back to the “real meaning” of Christmas, but realizes that such a move might not go over very well with her kids. She also concdes that such a move would be more about her attempting to mold her kids into what she thinks they should be, rather than allowing them to develop an attitude that values giving over receiving. “[I]f we’re working throughout the year on teaching and modeling compassion, mindful consumption, and thoughtful gift-giving,” she says, “then I am confident that our children can lead us toward ways of giving instead of only receiving.”
Selflessness is a rare commodity these days – particularly as we approach a holiday that too often emphasizes materialism and personal consumption. We would be wise to remember that on that first Christmas day, God emptied himself, taking the very form of a man (and a helpless infant at that), giving us a gift that we were unable to obtain ourselves, and unworthy to receive. May we always be mindful of grace and mercy to us, and may we never tire of following his example – offering that same gift of grace and mercy to a dying world.