** The True Meaning of Christmas **

[Santa]

Hello and greetings all Grotto lovers

I have been reading through all of your threads on here, both old and new, and I am extremely impressed at the amount of thought, care and love that is going into choosing your presents for loved ones and family. The homemade gifts are most impressive too.

What I want to say is to please not lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas. As I'm sure you all know, it is not all about Santa and presents (much as I love presents and giving them). It does of course have the religious aspect for those of you who are religious but that isn't what I want to discuss here.

Please think of others this Christmas:

Think of the elderly neighbor who may have no family nearby who would love a homemade card from your children, or even better a visit and some of your valuable time.

Think of the family down the street who have very very little. Some fortunate families have so very much and sometimes the children will stop playing with some of their toys when I bring all the new ones on Christmas Eve. Is there anyone who may love these toys for Christmas? A family you know or maybe a charity or orphanage?

If you get lots of boxes of chocolates and biscuits (apart from leaving a biscuit out for me of course), could you spare a box for someone less well off than you?

Think of the soldiers away from home who may love a little gift or a card sent from home to show that they are thought of.



There are so many things we can think of to help others, so many more that I haven't thought of. Maybe try and think of a few yourselves and post them here?

Just remember the gifts don't matter, the price doesn't matter, the thought is what really counts. When you worry that you don't have enough toys bought for your child, someone is thinking that they cannot afford even one. When you compare how many toys one child has against a sibling, someone else is comparing the fact that their child may get none at all and their heart is breaking. A child will always be happy with what they are given when it is given with love and the same is true of adults also. Children don't count how many toys they received and how much they cost, they just play with the ones they receive. Maybe it is time everyone saw things so simply?

Sometimes giving is the best gift we receive

I hope you all have an amazing Christmas and that maybe helping others if you are in a position to do so will make your Christmas even better

 

[Leliana]

Gorgeous post Santa and one I wholeheartedly agree with. Christmas is a special time of year to me for so many reasons but the main one is the love and warmth I feel from those around me. I have such special memories of this time of year and they are almost entirely linked to kindness and love. I will definitely be trying to pay that forward to others. Thank you for this gentle reminder Santa xx

 

[sequeena]

Thank you Santa and you are so right. Throughout the year I always give to my neighbour who collects for a charity (chip bag/paper babies I think it's called). I also want to do a food shop for my local trussell trust for those who have no food at all to feed themselves/children (will also include nappies, formula and baby food).

The soldiers idea is a good one, I shall do that.

 

[Mummy May]

Lovely post santa xx

 

[Donna35]

Good idea Santa, JJ and I will be doing a shoebox this year, we don't have very much money ourselves but I'm sure we can stretch to that and we can have fun picking out the little bits and pieces for it too. I'll watch out for lonely neighbours too, it's not nice to be alone when everyone else is enjoying the spirit of the season.

 

[lovemybubba]

Very well said Santa. X

 

[toptrump]

Lovely post Santa, I always buy a few toys for the local appeal have done for years, especially after talking to a social worker friend who told me that if it was not for this appeal there really are children in our area that would not even know it was Christmas, no tree, no presents nothing, normally from drug using families

 

[CormacksGirl]

Well said Santa! Adam and I will be doing a shoebox this year!!!x

 

[meldmac]

Lovely post Santa!

 

[FayDanielle]

Lovely post!

As awful as it is admitting it, I genuinely think it's easy to forget the true meaning of christmas when you're not religious.

Last year I bought toys and left them in the donations at ASDA, this year I think i'd like to do something for the soldiers, anyone know how I go about doing it?

 

[Reid]

well said last year I gave all the toys into my grans church all wrapped with age suitable for and sex they were then sent to children that needed them I will be doing the same this year and id really like to do tje shoe box for both a boy and girl. xx

 

[Amber4]

Aww this made me tear up a little. Too much attention is put into gifts and people do forget about people who aren't so lucky. Giving to the soldiers is something I would love to do. Like posted above if anyone knows I would love to know xx

 

[Leliana]

Don't forget animal shelters either, they get an influx of animals just after Christmas and often don't have enough food for them. Donating a tin or two of food when you've been shopping costs just pence but is so needed by these shelters. They often have sleighs outside supermarkets near Christmas where people can donate.

 

[lovelylaura]

a lovely post! last year i made homemade cards for all of my neighbours (12 of them all around the back off us) most are elderly and they loved it and recieved alot of cards back saying how much they loved it. One neighbour even brought round some chocolate for the girls. It's just a little though but it can mean so much to people. I'll be donanting a toy this year aswell which ill get poppy to choose so she can start to understand the meaning more.

 

[sweetlullaby]

Lovely post santa!

 

[RileysMummy]

Thanks for the lovely post Santa, will be looking into somewhere we can help with gifts x

 

[Donna35]

I really do love this Santa and all the lovely posts from people who've been doing nice things. It's so lovely to see that a lot of people are NOT wrapped up in themselves or in the materialistic aspect of Christmas but do something to help others. I think I'm going to get JJ to help pick out a toy to give to someone too and explain to him about how some children get very little or nothing, he is still very young but never too young to learn to think about others I think

 

[Santa]

Thank you everyone. There are some really lovely ideas here and it pleases me to see that so many of you already try to do your bit to help others

 

[shambaby]

Our local Asda usually has a trolley to donate gifts for local children, via the sure start centre, and I always put a little something in there when I do my shopping.

Also, since a few years ago at work we all decided not to give each other cards, and instead spend the money on some kind of charity donation - we have sponsored a guide dog, bought goats and drinking water via world vision and one year we each made up a gift bag for the women's aid shelter (essentials, plus some little luxuries for women / families who had fled violent homes with nothing).

I am thinking of making some kind of donation a family tradition (like putting an Oxfam unwrapped or similar gift in everyone's stocking) to help encourage the children to think about others, too, although they're a bit young to really get that yet!

And also, don't forget some of the best things about Christmas are not about presents or spending a truck load of money - some of my favourites include going as a family to see the Christmas lights switched on, visiting the Christmas market just to enjoy the atmosphere and spend time together, doing the Christmas elf last year (ok, some of the things he did involved presents, but I loved his other antics more!), Christmas crafts, Christmas music, reading Christmas books as bedtime stories, watching the snowman together, decorating the house with decorations we have accumulated over the last few years, and making new ones. All of it, really!

 

[kwood]

Lovely post from Santa and all the replies.

Can I ask what a shoebox is and how it works?

For those asking about the soldiers:

https://www.supportoursoldiers.co.uk/irshop.aspx?page=75&section=content

We send a parcel every year. I was in the U.S. Air Force once upon a time and these packages make you feel a little closer to home when you are so far away from Family at Christmas.