Celebrating a New Kind of Christmas

For Sharon Wallace, International Teams Canada’s new Director of Organizational Development, a new family tradition began when she realized she was struggling to find meaningful gifts for her family. Christmas shopping had become a frustrating and exhausting experience.  “Just going to the mall and choosing something for which the recipient has no real need, seemed a bit empty. Why buy more for people when we were all trying to live more simply and declutter our homes? So I thought that doing something where I match a gift to my family member’s values and interests, while also blessing someone in need, would truly make Christmas more special for all.”
Challenged and inspired by the number of charitable requests she received each year at Christmas time, Sharon spoke with her family to get a sense of their willingness to change how they celebrate Christmas. She suggested that they draw names and set a spending limit, half of which would go toward a book or magazine, with the other half going to a charity.

After just one year of this new kind of Christmas, Sharon’s entire family was on board for making this a tradition in their family. “Everybody loved it. It has changed the tone of our celebration – it is much calmer, more reflective. The book or magazine is wrapped, so there’s still something to unwrap, and people are very creative with the other part, even writing poems to explain why they’ve chosen that particular charity!”

Sharon believes – and thinks her extended family would agree – that the thoughtfulness and meaning behind the gifts is often the most touching part of the gift exchange. “I was a little bit surprised by how it felt. I guess I thought it would feel good because it was the right thing to do, but now I would not give up doing this for the world. It is so meaningful and is really bonding our family together in a lasting way.”

This year, Sharon expects she will do the majority of her shopping from the newly launched International Teams Christmas Catalogue (Click here for the full story).“I looked at the items in the catalogue and could see something for everyone in my family, like glasses for widows at a sewing school on behalf of my mom, who recently had cataract surgery, or soccer balls for refugee children on behalf of my sports-loving dad. And my daughter never goes without breakfast and a hug from her parents, so I will likely give a gift of fresh fruit for orphans in her name. I get to have the fun of picking out unique gifts without having to negotiate crowds and lineups!”

Sharon’s only regret is that she wishes she had thought of this idea years ago. “God has entrusted us with abundance and to be able to share it in a meaningful way is a real gift. I can’t imagine doing Christmas any other way. We haven’t lost anything by this – we have only gained.”<

Check out the Christmas Catalogue!