mmonohon

Since I married my dh 21 years ago, his (and now our) family tradition is instead of the adult (children) giving expensive gifts to each other at Christmas, we do a charitable event, activity or serving others project. My dh and I with our sons have done everything from sock drives for the homeless, joining the bone marrow registry, giving blood, buying gifts for children that have nothing and such. This year with me being unemployed and the economy as it is, I chose to do Quilts for kids and spread the $ over the year. I am so excited.

Does anyone else do anything similar? What do you do?

TN Donna

We usually do a few families for Christmas, send socks and Christmas show boxes to orphanages, charity events, soup kitchens and every thing else until I lost use of my legs a few years ago. I still miss it.

carolaug

we volunteer through out the year...and in the past have cleaned cat cages on all of the holidays at the rescue league. We also have been telling the boys (that are grown) to make us stuff instead of buying us gifts....they always come up with neat ideas...We love it when they take pictures all year and present them to us...since both live far away....we get to see what they have been up to all year though their pictures. I see so many people stressed at Christmas buying presents, and trying to pay bills..the last thing we want is for them to charge anything. I say Gifts from the heart....