The giving tree: How to wrap up generosity this Christmas

Key ingredient: generosity

The Giving Tree: How to wrap up generosity this Christmas

Key ingredient: generosity

BY DEBBIE MACOMBER
#1 New York Times bestselling author
debbiemacomber.com

Generosity doesn’t come naturally. It’s a recipe we learn from others. My parents passed it on to me, and now I am striving to pass it onto my children and grandchildren. That’s why I love to take them shopping … for others!

Recipe: Giving Tree

WHAT YOU NEED

Time:  Low   Medium   High

Budget:   $   $$   $$$

  • A willingness to share
  • Grandkids, kids, nephews, nieces, or kids of family friends
  •  A giving tree (find one at your church or local mall)
  •  The World Vision Gift Catalog
Giving Tree image for recipe card.

DIRECTIONS

  1.  Visit a giving tree at your local mall or church and pick names off of the tree.
  2. Give your kids a budget.
  3. Set them loose in a local store to let them shop for the name they picked.
  4. If needed, take your purchases home and wrap them and return the gifts to the tree.
  5. Consider giving your kids or grandkids items from the World Vision Gift Catalog. It’s a great way to talk to them about the great needs of the world today.

 

SEE MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS

Recipe: Giving Tree

WHAT YOU NEED

Time:  Low   Medium   High

Budget:   $   $$   $$$

  • A willingness to share
  • Grandkids, kids, nephews, nieces, or kids of family friends
  •  A giving tree (find one at your church or local mall)
  •  The World Vision Gift Catalog

DIRECTIONS

  1.  Visit a giving tree at your local mall or church and pick names off of the tree.
  2. Give your kids a budget.
  3. Set them loose in a local store to let them shop for the name they picked.
  4. If needed, take your purchases home and wrap them and return the gifts to the tree.
  5. Consider giving your kids or grandkids items from the World Vision Gift Catalog. It’s a great way to talk to them about the great needs of the world today.

SEE MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS

Get the 12 recipes download PDF

Make unforgettable memories with your family this Christmas with these 12 ideas!

DIY, Family Activities, Prayer, and more.

Get the 12 recipes download PDF

Make unforgettable memories with your family this Christmas with these 12 ideas!

DIY, Family Activities, Prayer, and more.

My 'Recipe' Story

One of the highlights for me at Christmastime is baking cookies with the grandkids and making those once-a-year candies, because what’s Christmas without fudge and divinity? More importantly, what’s Christmas without Jesus? It’s void. Pointless. That’s one reason why I am determined as a woman of faith to make sure Christ is the focal point of our family Christmas.

So one of the fun things I do with the grandkids each Christmas is taking them shopping … for others. We collect names off of a giving tree and shop for the person we’ve picked. We also make sure that each one of them receives something from my husband and me from the World Vision Gift Catalog. It’s important that children learn the joy of giving, and these are small ways that I’ve helped instill that in them.

You see, generosity isn’t something that comes naturally. It’s taught by example!

My parents weren’t wealthy people. Having lived through the Depression era, they were keenly aware of how fortunate they were to live and work in a free society. They never forgot those who had less. I learned generosity from them and am now striving to open my children’s and grandchildren’s hearts and minds to those who have far less.

And what do I get out of it? I am humbled by the thoughtfulness of my grandkids. The way they search out the best buys. The way they stretch those dollars as far as they can. These are memories that are dear to my heart and encouraging to my faith!

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