New Christmas Traditions 2008

Our Christmas gift giving this year was a little different...

First, we were ridiculously spoiled. Noah's & our family combined gift was a WII. PLUS we got a WII Fit (for me) and the boys got Guitar Hero - World Tour & NHL 2009. Family also got Noah more fixin's for the WII - Mario Kart with the wheel, a bow & arrow/gun game (with the gun), Star Wars Lego (with the light saber) - ALL for the WII. You know what we will be doing for our week off - eh!!!

Jacques & I also did something a little different. Our gift giving criteria required us to spend only $30 that had to purchase something that 'GIVES BACK'. The ways we gave back are listed then described below:

• PRODUCT (RED)
• LAND OF A THOUSAND HILLS
• (or order coffee from SAINTS COFFEE and feed an orphan for a month)
• SUUBI (hope) AFRICA

• I got the 3 of us matching PRODUCT (RED) shirts from the Gap. (Click to learn about product RED).

Jacques & I got the INSPI(RED) shirts and Noah got a CENSO(RED) shirt - which we wore on Christmas day:

• I also got Jacques some coffee from "LAND OF A THOUSAND HILLS" where the logo is 'Drink Coffee. Do Good.'

From the website & some information about this organization : "Specialty Coffee provides a fair and proper Living Wage to Rwandan Farmers that have embraced the gift God has given them. Their commitment to excellence and your love of coffee helps fund micro lending projects, creates opportunities for Hutu and Tutsi to work together that restores dignity, and builds safe places that promote reconciliation and construct platforms to hear the Gospel."

• I got Noah's teacher a choker from SUUBI (hope) AFRICA (oh and one for me too!!) from a friend who was selling these.

I've inquired about selling them also. This organization provides hope for women that has changed them. These are necklaces made from recycled paper made into beads by women in Uganda. A quote from the website: "The Suubi (hope) project is about creating consistent weekly incomes in otherwise unemployable areas in Uganda through the purchasing and reselling of these hand-make necklaces. Thus, allowing for women to provide food and pay school fees for their children."

My BEST gift of all was a Christmas letter from Jacques. Though I won't share the intimacy of our letters, we each wrote each other a letter describing 3 things (in detail):
1. My holiday wish for you...
2. Thank you for...
3. I love you because....

I could hardly believe my eyes when I read Jacques words to me. Actually, I bawled my eyes out.... I mean, I KNOW he loves me and that I mean the world to him - but when he put it on paper and the way he described it was beyond perfect. Somehow, I feel like my letter to him was not as good as his was to me..... THIS will definitely be on my 'wish list' EVERY year and my most favourite gift to receive!

NEXT year I want to challenge all of you to do your Christmas shopping at organizations that 'GIVE BACK' - I've found it gives more meaning to the gifts!

We certainly will be....it will become our new family tradition!!!