Soap for a Cause

My son's school conducted a number of fundraisers just before the holidays, which I think is great because it serves to remind us that Christmas isn't just about us -- that there are others out there who could really use our help. Being somewhat passionate about animals, my son told me that he was disappointed that his school wasn't raising money for animals. I asked him what he'd like to do about it. He suggested making more soap and selling his soap to neighbours to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund. So that's what we did. There are lots of terrific organizations in need of support year round. I'm hoping that I'll remember that when the Christmas season has passed.

Stories by Candlelight

Each year, without looking for it, a new Christmas tradition finds us. This year's new tradition is a combination of two old ones: holidays stories + candlelight= stories by candlelight. Have you tried reading by candlelight lately? Read by one candle only once -- to renew your respect for your pioneer ancestors. Then, to save your eyes, light all the candles you can find. If you can find beeswax candles, the scent and sight of them will dazzle you.

Shine On

This tradition is simple and obvious. It's the darkest time of the year, making it the perfect time to appreciate candlelight. And if you decide to eat dinner by candlelight, it's a fairly foolproof way to disguise vegetables (and to set fire to the combustibles glued to the base of your child's candle holder --aagh!). My eight-year-old ate a squash curry the other night with nary a complaint. You can't object to what you can't see, I suppose. Perhaps that's why pioneer children ate more vegetables. They did, right?

The Not-Here-Next-Year Teacher Gift

There has been a lot of conversation around here about what to get my son's teacher. I come from a family of teachers, and they inform me that their staff room cupboards are bulging with coffee mugs from Christmases past. So, a mug is out. I've also witnessed that teachers get a lot of boxed chocolate and baked goods. My son's teacher is a runner -- fit as fiddle, thin as a pin. Scratch that idea. Teachers also get enough plants to open a small greenhouse business. Hmm. Do we want teachers to tend to plants or tend to our children? Because the whole purpose of gift giving, I think, is to communicate to someone that you appreciate them, the gesture shouldn't be, in any way, a burden to them. So, my son and I decided to give his teacher something that won't be around next Christmas: handmade soaps. These melt-and-pour soaps were so fun and easy to make, and I like the fact that my son played a huge role in their creation. It's his teacher, after all.

Other possible not-here-next-year gifts: hand-dipped beeswax candles, "busy teacher" bean soup, and handmade styrofoam block print note cards. What are your not-here-next-year ideas?

Twenty-Four Gifts

This isn't a Christmas tradition yet, but I hope it will be. Recently, I read a book titled, Twenty-Nine Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life, by Cami Walker. In it, she describes how focusing on others through one planned, kind gesture a day -- a note, a phone call, a listening ear -- helped her manage the excruciating symptoms of multiple sclerosis. That got me thinking. Several months ago, we visited some friends at their cottage. When we arrived, we were greeted with the refrigerator message above. That small gesture spoke volumes to me, and set the tone for a lovely visit.

Anyone can afford to give the gift of thoughtfulness. What would happen, if for the 24 days leading up to Christmas, every member of my family (and yours) could plan a kind gesture for someone each day? What would Christmas look like, then? When I pick up my son from school today, I will ask him, "What gift did you give today?" And be assured, I'll need to be prepared with an answer to the same question.

Small "d" decorating

If decorating for Christmas brings you joy, by all means, do it. If, like me, you know that what comes out of boxes in December must go back into boxes in the gray days of January, and that thought depresses you a little, consider small "d" decorating. It's subtle, and just enough to add a bit of cheer to the season. At our house, that means a Christmas tablecloth, festive pillow cases and table runners, tee-towels and pot holders (thoughtful and practical gifts from Christmases past). And our story tree, of course. It's enough to suggest that this season is special. I leave the rest of the decorating to my son. He likes to create a nativity scene on our fireplace mantle using the Usborne Advent Activity Book. Each day, he takes out a character from the book and sets it up on the mantle. We used to read the accompanying Christmas story every day, and by Christmas he could recite it by heart. But now, we read it a few times over the course of the month, as a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.

Secret Elf

Somewhere along the way, my son got the idea that Christmas was about getting stuff (I know, you're surprised). That's been a difficult notion to budge. I could have kissed his second-grade teacher last year when my son came home with a book whose main character decided to be a "secret elf" and conduct a simple random act of kindness for a classmate. In the story, this act of kindness inspires other classmates to do the same. The book (whose title escapes me and my attempts to find it through a Google search) inspired my son, and a new tradition was born. His secret elf adventures currently involve taping a piece of candy to a note and slipping these notes into his classmates' desks when they aren't looking. Simple, right? But delicious fun!

Nature Nativity Scene

You know those clementine boxes that you're never really sure what to do with? A local church had a wonderful idea: use them to house nativity scenes. Most of the materials in our nativity scene are found in nature -- milkweed pods, moss, bark, twigs, branches, pine cones and nuts -- and reconfigured into nativity characters and props with the help of a little white glue or a hot glue gun. Do you feel the need for a woodland walk?

Other materials used: faux greenery (though pine boughs would be just as lovely), wooden figures, wool felt, wool roving, and pipe cleaners.