Joseph

This year for Christmas, Matt and I wanted to drive the true meaning of the holiday home for our kids.

I really dislike the commercialism of Christmastime. Add to that the pressures of the most perfect of decorations, baked items, parties, and sparkly sweaters, and I am about pushed over the edge.

I get it that it feels good, REALLY GOOD, to give... but it seems that in America, during Christmastime, we just give and give and give to those who already have way too much. In our house, I feel like things just accumulate in excesss, and by springtime, I am feeling the guilt of not having a simpler life where only our needs are met.

This year to keep us grounded in the true meaning of Christmas, we decided to only buy one gift per child. {Let me just say that gifts come in from everywhere in this house, so even with us limiting to one gift per child, our kids are still spoiled.} We would then use what we would have spent on them, plus some, to give to India Gospel League.

Through a few donations through IGL in 2010, our family will be supporting the building of a Christian daycare center in India. { We hope that we will get to see the building process through pictures, but all of the depends, of course, on the political climate in India. If we get them, I will post.}

Our kids give 10% of what they "earn" - I will use that term loosely - to our church. This year, I thought it would be cool to instead have them give their tithe towards sponsoring a child in India, in addition to supporting him through prayer and keeping in touch with him through letters and pictures.

And, here is our little 3-year old Joseph...