It’s all around us this time of year, if we listen. Subversive, revolutionary ideas about how the world ought to be fill the air. Our ears ring with the promise of hope, life, light in the darkness, the broken made whole, those who are oppressed finding justice, those who are […]
Read MoreA Non Commercial Christmas
7 Quick Takes – So much to say
Little bits from around the web that I thought worth sharing. I wanted to include pictures but my internet out here in the Thailand boonies is so slow tonight that’s it’s not going to happen. 1. Modesty, I Don’t Think it Means What You Think it Means Probably everyone has […]
Read MoreOf the Father’s Love Begotten
After a super fun day of preparing for and hosting the girl’s double, we were both born the week before Christmas, birthday party, I was telling Brenda that I had wanted to make a video for Neil Kramer’s Annual Blogger Christmahanukwanzaakah Online Holiday Concert. But since the deadline for entries […]
Read MoreThe $2 day challenge
“We’re going to eat for only $2 each for the whole day tomorrow!” I announce. “Do you think we can do that?” “Yeah,” the boy exclaims, “I think we can.” “If we stick to basics and don’t have treats or things like butter I think we won’t even go hungry.” […]
Read MoreSt. Nicholas Day – How our family deals with Santa Claus
If you’ve been reading here a long time you would know that we try to avoid the standard commercialism of the Christmas season. [Ideas for a non Commercial Christmas] We don’t exchange Christmas gifts, for example. We try to find a way that our family can be a gift to […]
Read MoreMaybe I AM a Hypocrite
He makes me wonder these days if I’m a hypocrite. We’re standing there in the dining room, his face flushed and his voice urgent, “But mom, didn’t you say that there are kids who don’t have any toys that would be happy to have these?” For years I have fed […]
Read MoreThe Labor of Advent
We sit and sort through tiny beads, searching for the right ones. Stringing letters one by one we name the nameless, the forgotten, and abandoned, and beaten child. They are known. We know them. We send them proof. Cards and letters written specifically to each of them by the youth […]
Read MoreGive some joy this Christmas-*updated*
Wow, you guys rock. 5 more bunks beds donated and 5 more for clothes and shoes as well! That means we’ve only got 5 beds to go, and 3 kids left to buy clothes for. THANK-YOU so much for being such a blessing! I was going to post this at […]
Read MoreNon Commercial Christmas- A few more thoughts
So I know for some people with children the hardest part about the whole idea of not exchanging Christmas gifts with each other and giving to others instead is really emotional. We worry that they are missing out some how. We remember magical childhood Christmases and waking up to gifts […]
Read MoreIdeas for a Non Commercial Christmas #2-What about the family?
Last week a reader asked, What about your family though (not your husband’s)? How has this way of Christmas affected their traditions and how you celebrate with them? Which is one of the things I was going to talk about this week. Obviously, not everyone in your family circle will […]
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