The holidays have become so commercial that my husband and I are concerned that our three boys, Joey, age eight, Jake, five, and Josh, one, will grow up without understanding the true spirit of the season. To remedy this, we stick slips of paper in our Advent calendar box that list different generous acts, such as baking cookies for the local retirement home, shoveling a walkway for someone who can't, or taking unwanted clothes or toys to a homeless shelter. During the month before Christmas, the boys open the door of our calendar each day to find an ornament to place on the tree and a giving idea. Most of these ideas cost nothing but time, and doing them together as a family helps the boys focus on giving and not just getting.
--Kim K., Oittsburgh, PA

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