The Life of Bon: On Christmas, Creating Traditions, and Teaching Children

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

On Christmas, Creating Traditions, and Teaching Children

This post is sponsored by CARE but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.


Hey Hey!  It's December 13!  We are in the thick of the Christmas season.  This is it!  Right smack in the middle- living, breathing, eating Christmas season.

For Greg and I, it has been largely a selfish time of year.  December is the busiest month for blogging and definitely the busiest time for our small business.  We have been going nonstop since a week before Thanksgiving.  Like I mentioned in our last post, we are so so so grateful.  But I hate that I feel so imbalanced and so consumed with us right now.  I've had little time to even think about how I'm doing, let alone how others are doing.

I realized this weekend that that had to change.  Our huge Christmas markets are over and we have had a little bit of space to breathe this week.  Next week should loosen its grasp even further on us and we can really focus on ways to give and share this Christmas.

As I've been thinking about some ways to give, I've been considering a lot on the longtime Christmas traditions I want to create for my family and what I want to teach my kids about Christmas.  One of the most important things for me to teach my children is empathy.  I've thought about this concept a lot-- at what age are kids capable of learning empathy?  When can June process that other people have feelings, that other people suffer, that the world is not just about her and her needs?  I used to think it wasn't until kids were 8 or 9 that they could grasp this concept, but since having June I've changed my tune.  She watches a kid cry on tv and exclaims "Oh no!" She climbs on my lap and says "Mommom sad?" when I'm having a bad day.  Yah.   She's two.  TWO.  And she gets it.

One of the ways that we have been and will be teaching June about empathy and giving his Christmas is through CARE.org.  I have worked with this company several times throughout the past year, and it is always an absolute honor when they choose me to help on a campaign.  CARE works in third world and underdeveloped countries to provide basic needs, as well as to educate and empower the people who live there.  This Christmas they are looking to raise awareness of their Christmas "catalog-" a great way for you and your family to buy "Christmas gifts" for individuals, families, and schools in developing countries.




 Here are a few gifts you can purchase this Christmas:

+ $75 buys you a goat (goat's milk provides nourishment for families and provides a source of income as extra milk can be sold at local markets)
+ $55 buys life saving medicine
+ $30 buys a 3 month emergency supply of water
+ $81 buys a basket of food for a displaced family
+ $95 buys a human-powered water pump
+ $143 buys a scholarship for a girl to attend secondary school
+ $38 buys school uniforms for two girls
+ $44 buys a blackboard for a classroom
+ $24 buys 3 Ebola hygiene kits
+ $27 buys 8 plastic sleeping mats



June and I have been looking through the catalog pictures online (You can find them here.  The photography is stunning) and I've been asking her what presents she wants to buy for other kids.  I swear to you, she really gets it.  "Do you want to buy them books?  Or a goat?  Or water?"  "WATER!"  She yells, pointing at the picture of the little girl carrying water.  Water it is, June bug.


I hope you consider looking at the catalog to see what gift of lasting change you could give this Christmas season.  We can make a huge difference and that is pretty humbling.  A huge thanks to CARE for letting me be on this campaign with them--- it really is such an honor.

Also, I know comments on blogs are kind of a thing of the past, but if you feel so inclined to leave a comment and tell me what "gift" you would most likely give from the catalog, I would love to hear!

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