This year I started reflecting on our family holiday traditions early. As a family, we always make it a point to give back each year. We have some tried and true family giving traditions I share below. And this year I am very excited to add a new tradition as we participate in #Disney/CFK Stocking Stuffer Celebration ~ the Champions for Kids SIMPLE Service Project for December. We will fill stockings for children from the Angel Tree at church.
There is no ideal Christmas;
only the one Christmas you decide
to make as a reflection
of your values, desires, affections, traditions.
This quote by Bill McKibben from Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case For a More Joyful Christmas really touched something deep in me. As most of you know 2011 has been a very tough year and I have been feeling a little down, disconnected, and not my joyful self…I do not like to whine too much, because I have a beautiful and full life…so when I contemplated the above quote, I realized that it is exactly what I believe and bring that makes a holiday joyful…not feeling sorry for myself…
St. Francis Preaching to the Birds - Giotto
So what am I going to do about my feelings of sadness…what I always do when I become too focused on self…turn outward and think of others:
Your Local Food Bank Needs You
Food banks are really suffering this year…because of the economy, many more people have had to call on their local food bank for help…if you have any extra money or canned goods…stories like this abound this year…please help if you can…
Hoffman, 55, is one of the growing number of “nontraditional” food pantry clients across the country. They include more formerly independent senior citizens, more people who own houses and more people who used to call themselves “middle-class” — those who are not used to fretting over the price of milk.
“We’re getting calls all the time from people who want to know how to get here,” said Kristine Gibson, community outreach manager at the Stockton food pantry. “And when I ask where they live, they give an address of a nice neighborhood, one where you or I would want to live.”
No matter what city you live in, and no matter what newspaper you read, you have probably seen a headline that says something like “Local Food Bank Donations Down,” or “Shelves Empty at the Food Bank.”
According to a recent thread on Chowhound, certain items are almost always a good bet:
| Canned Chicken Powdered Milk Canned Tuna Saltine Crackers Soups Juices White Rice Jarred or Canned Spaghetti Sauce |
Grape Jelly Canned Vegetables Breakfast Cereals Pork & Beans Peanut Butter Macaroni & Cheese Baby food & formula Pet food, for companion animals |
| What they’ve got too much of? Kidney beans | |
And, of course, money donations are always welcome as well. To find the nearest food bank to you, check out Second Harvest’s Food Bank locator from the slow food blog.
Feeding the Birds on Christmas Eve
I will repeat my tradition a la St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis loved animals because they, too, were God’s creatures. He extended special kindness to animals at Christmas. He urged farmers to provide their oxen and donkeys with extra rations of corn and hay “for the reverence of the Son of God, whom on such a night the Blessed Virgin did lay down in the stall between the ox and the donkey.” At Christmastide, St. Francis scattered crumbs of bread under the trees, so the tiny creatures could feast and be happy. I am going to scatter bird seed around my tiny island on Christmas eve so that the birds, too, can celebrate…
Saint Francis' birds are fed on Christmas Eve 2007 - a new tradition launched
Champions for Kids
Champions for Kids works to mobilize MILLIONS of people by providing training and resources to improve the lives of children in communities across America and beyond. The goal is to mobilize 20 Million people by 2020.
I choose to create stockings for children whose names are on the Angel Tree at my church. They are a worthy recipients who would not have a Christmas celebration without the generosity of families like ours. Our recipients match the Champions for Kids mission because they are among the 15.5 million or approximately 20.7 percent of children in the U.S. live in poverty through no fault of their own!!!
Participate in Champions for Kids Twitter party on December 15th at 9:00 EST. Just follow the hashtag #DisneyCFK. See you there!!!
Make a donation today.
Find out ways you can help.
Become a partner.
Join me and sign up for CFK’s December SIMPLE Service Project – Disney/CFK Stocking Stuffer Celebration.
Read about other Christmas traditions here…
See my Hundred Dollar Holiday ideas and Hundred Dollar Holiday post….to learn more…
* Bill McKibben, author, Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case For a More Joyful Christmas says, “The Christmas we now celebrate grew up at a time when Americans were mostly poor … mostly working with their hands and backs. If we now feel burdened and unsatisfied by the piles of gifts and over consuming, it is not because Christmas has changed all that much. It’s because we have.” …read article here…
Sign up today for the SIMPLE Service Project of the month!
Champions for Kids Disney
www.ChampionsforKids.org
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This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions, ideas, and photos are 100% my own. #CBias #DisneyCFK
Great post Rebecca. I love that quote as well. Christmas is such a happy time, but it can be full of sadness as well. It is always good to remember that we have to live in the moment and make the best of each experience.
Fantastic campaign! No kids should go without gifts for Christmas!
What a wonderful campaign! I love the Champions for Kids and hope to see it continue year round.
I love this campaign! Thanks for that great list of helpful items to donate to the local food bank. I am going to pick some up when I go food shopping this week!
I really enjoyed reading your post! Some great ideas and I love the birds on the beach:) Yes, This is a lovely campaign and so needed!