The sights and sounds of Christmas are all around: the magic of the Country Club Plaza’s annual light display, the wonderment of the mayor’s Christmas tree at Crown Center, the holiday retail extravaganza and your own home aglow with holiday cheer. Kansas City seems to serve up traditional Christmas cheer on every corner, but perhaps this year it’s time for your family to think outside of the gift-wrapped box and celebrate “the most wonderful time of the year” in a new way.
Last year, American parents spent an average of $271 per child on Christmas gifts. Add in the expense of decorations, parties, other gifts and travel and it’s easy to see how U.S. families expect to spend more than $800 on Christmas alone. More and more, families are starting to look away from Christmas consumerism and toward ways to give Christmas away.
City Union Mission has volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups to serve homeless and impoverished people of Kansas City. Or try dedicating a couple of hours to ringing the familiar bells of the Salvation Army. Signing up as a family or group is easy by going to www.RingKC.com to schedule your date, time and location.
Turn the traditional chocolate- or goody-yielding Advent calendar on its head and celebrate 12 days of giveaway in your family! Parents, fill 12 envelopes or small boxes ($5 gift cards, movie tickets, ornaments, small toys, books) with one giveaway each day leading up to Christmas Eve. Kids open one giveaway each morning and experience the joy and challenge of having to give away the gift to someone outside of their immediate family (think neighbors, teachers, friends, coaches, etc.) before the end of the day. Children learn the joy of giving and blessing others firsthand!
If your Christmas tradition consists of a large family gathering, then propose a slightly non-traditional approach to the large family gift exchange by organizing a competitive game night where prizes in lieu of gifts are won by merit or participation. A simple web search for “Minute to Win It games” will bring up fun and easy ways to place a little friendly competition into family Christmas traditions. Multi-player video games like Mario Kart and Just Dance are other great ways to get kids and adults dueling to see who claims the next prize.
Buon Natale! That’s Merry Christmas for all of us non-Italian speaking folks. This Christmas, broaden your cultural horizons and adopt a Christmas tradition from outside of the United States. Christmas Day in Italy heralds in sweet breads, such as panforte (Siena speciality), pandolce (sweet bread from Genoa), and panettone (a traditional Milanese bread). The celebration doesn’t end until after the Feast of Ephiphany on Jan. 6, when La Befana flies around on her broom at night in search of the Christ child, leaving gifts in the stockings of good children and coal for the children on the naughty list. Hospitality and fun ring out in the Mexican celebration of the Nine Days of Posadas, where family and friends carry candles through neighborhood streets in search of a home that will welcome them inside. Each night a food rich, piñata-busting gathering of family and friends ensues to celebrate Joseph and Mary’s search for lodging in Bethlehem.
Trim your tree, hang your lights and mail your cards, but take a chance and be of good cheer as you embrace a new tradition your family will remember for years to come. However you choose to celebrate this season, just remember it really is better to give than receive, and spending time with family and friends is a gift in itself. Feliz Navidad!
Christmas Traditions in Nutshell (or in this case, Nutcracker Shell):
- In 2012, Americans planned to spend an average of $854 on Christmas shopping.
- Sales during the holiday season may comprise 25 to 40 percent of a retailer's annual sales.
- In 1821, William Gilley printed a poem about "Santeclaus" who was dressed in fur and drove a sleigh drawn by a single reindeer.
- In 1939, Robert L. May of the Montgomery Ward Company created a poem about Rudolph, the ninth reindeer.
- The word Christmas is derived from the Old English phrase Cristes maesse (Christ's mass).VSt. Nicholas, the real person on whom Santa Claus is based, lived in the 4th century AD in the province of Lycia on the southwest coast of Asia Minor.
Jena Meyerpeter, mom of three, writes from Lenexa, while listening to Christmas music.