Every month we give Ryland a certain amount of allowance--some to spend, some to save and some to give. He had saved up $12 in his giving envelope and was very happy to donate it toward filling a box with gifts for a boy his age through Operation Christmas Child. He went to the store with me and picked out things he would like and was quite excited to fill the box, including a picture of us, and take it to church this morning.
Our family has been very blessed in many ways and I believe doing things like this throughout the holidays not only will help someone else, it helps kids learn to be generous instead of just thinking about how much they can get get under the tree. The older kids have been more than wiling to give of both their time as well as have less materially in the past few years so we can share more. I'm glad to see them have that value for themselves.
I'm looking forward to this first holiday season with Ryland.... so much fun to share. This morning he was telling me how the Sunday School kids will be singing some songs they are practicing: Silent Night and something about jumping over a mountain! (Go Tell it on the Mountain). I am also listening about the holidays in his past so we can do some things in a way that's familiar to him.
2 comments:
Go Jump Over a Mountain... I love it! He's so precious.
Love these photos. What a sweet boy and what a sweet mama to help him learn the joy of giving! Hope you have a wonderful first Christmas together!
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