A Global Christmas

This week has been a little different for me. For some reason this month, I've just not been feeling the Christmas spirit. I drug out the decorations and put them up. I started buying a few presents here and there. And then I got a very random e-mail from my brother. He decided this Christmas to do something a little different. He has decided to partner with the organization Hello Somebody in hopes to help a young man in Rwanda go to school, receive a first class education and 2 meals per day. One way to raise money for these boys is to buy a $25.00 watch from the organization.

After I got his email, I read this blog post by one of my favorite speaker/writer gals who I have actually met in real life, Jen Hatmaker. Then I read it again and again. This is some life changing stuff she wrote. Wow! Next thing I know, I am looking for fair trade Christmas gifts. One of the sites I really liked is Trade as One where you change lives with everything you buy. So now I have some earrings from Noah's Ark International Exports on their way to Greenfield, Indiana! My oldest son is named Noah, so that is how I picked which store to buy from. There were so many cool jewelry items to choose from, but I couldn't buy everything.

One other things Jen Hatmaker suggested was giving money to your kids for Christmas to GIVE AWAY. They have to find a worthy cause or person to donate the money to, so this is something I am going to start this year with the 3 boys. I think I am going to give each child a dollar for each year old they are and then watch them enjoy blessing someone else.

So I am starting to feel a little better about Christmas and am looking forward to loving and encouraging my family during this season.