The True Meaning of Christmas

Teaching Your Kids About Goodwill

By Gwen Morrison

If your kids are anything like mine, they already have a lengthy Christmas list tucked under their pillow. Christmas should be a magical time for children with bright lights and candy canes and wishes-come-true. But how do we show our children that there are so many people in the world who aren't sharing in the blessings of the holiday season?

Most kids see Christmas as a time of receiving, so how do we change that? How do we teach our children about the true meaning of the holidays? A great place to start is by showing them that it is always better to give than to receive. By sharing with others, we can set an example to our children that will make their holiday season an even more joyous occasion!

Here are some ideas including where to go to spread holiday cheer, how to start a family tradition of volunteering and how to share with your children the true meaning of Christmas.

Food banks are open year-round, but Christmas is the time of year when they provide special meals and are always in need of extra help.

"The volunteer work children can do with the Metro Food Bank Society depends on their age," says Carrie Beazley, communications officer at the Metro Food Bank Society in Halifax, Nova Scotia. "These age restrictions are in place to ensure the safety of the children volunteering."

According to Beazley, the following are great opportunities for children to volunteer during the holiday season:

• Christmas Warehouse – Children 12 and over, accompanied by a parent, can help sort and package food, often fruits and vegetables, in the Christmas warehouse. The warehouse is open all day during the week and on selected evenings and weekends in December.
• Gift Wrapping – The society wraps gifts in exchange for donations at three malls in HRM for the entire month of December. Children, accompanied by a parent, are welcome at these booths. This is a great way for them to help because it can be done after school or on evenings and weekends.

"It's important to point out that volunteering for us doesn't necessarily mean coming to our site," says Beazley. "Another great way children can help is to hold a food drive or fundraiser to benefit the Metro Food Bank Society. They can go door-to-door collecting food, maybe do some caroling at the same time. Or they can ask guests at a Christmas party or concert to bring in food and money donations to support hungry families at Christmas. Once the donations have been collected, the children can come to our office on the Bedford Highway, drop off their food and even take part in a pre-arranged tour if they're interested."

If your child is planning on campaigning the neighbourhood for food, however, be sure he brings along adult supervision.

Want to see more?

• Heart-y Gift Giving: Teaching Kids the True Meaning of the Giving Season
• The Art of Christmas Caroling
• Holiday Spirit: Helping Your Preteenager Make the Most of the Giving Season
• Holiday Beginnings: New Traditions for the Families of Today
• Talk about it!