Personal economics
Since July one of my favorite websites has been Wise Bread . As its banner proclaims, it is a site devoted to frugal living and personal finance. Almost every day I read an article or two and learn something or just renew my conviction to be a good steward of what God has given us, in order to live on less and give more.
On a different note:
Every Christmas my extended family through my mother's side gets together for dinner Christmas night - about 30 to 36 people. Since my mother was a child, that has included swapping gifts - and every one gets a gift for and from each person there. The gifts are not usually lavish, but it is a lot.
Last month I contacted all the family members and asked how they'd feel about doing something different this year. We have a large and loving family. We genuinely enjoy getting together and spending the evening together. The food everyone brings is always delicious (and everyone knows what the favorite family dishes are, so the menu doesn't vary much, but is happily anticipated), the conversation never lags as we are all deeply interested in hearing what the others have been doing, what their plans for the future may be, and because almost every single adult is either a graduate of Auburn or the University of Alabama, and most of the children have decided which of those two schools they will attend, there is always plenty of football talk. The presents are really an afterthought.
So we have decided to not give gifts to one another this year, but instead to increase our giving elsewhere: to our churches, to missions, to shelters and soup kitchens, or even anonymously to some local families who are having trouble financially. And we're thinking this may be something we do from now on every year.
On a different note:
Every Christmas my extended family through my mother's side gets together for dinner Christmas night - about 30 to 36 people. Since my mother was a child, that has included swapping gifts - and every one gets a gift for and from each person there. The gifts are not usually lavish, but it is a lot.
Last month I contacted all the family members and asked how they'd feel about doing something different this year. We have a large and loving family. We genuinely enjoy getting together and spending the evening together. The food everyone brings is always delicious (and everyone knows what the favorite family dishes are, so the menu doesn't vary much, but is happily anticipated), the conversation never lags as we are all deeply interested in hearing what the others have been doing, what their plans for the future may be, and because almost every single adult is either a graduate of Auburn or the University of Alabama, and most of the children have decided which of those two schools they will attend, there is always plenty of football talk. The presents are really an afterthought.
So we have decided to not give gifts to one another this year, but instead to increase our giving elsewhere: to our churches, to missions, to shelters and soup kitchens, or even anonymously to some local families who are having trouble financially. And we're thinking this may be something we do from now on every year.
posted by Laura at
10:02 AM
3 Comments:
Having the whole family together and sharing a meal is a gift in itself.
Sounds lovely!
Blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of God's best gifts. It involves many things, but above all, the power of going out of one's self
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