Stiff Your Kids This Christmas

Yeah, I mean it - don't give your kids any toys this Christmas. No new Xbox, Wii, Ipod, Molest-Me-Elmo, or whatever other brand-name doohickey the little darlings have been whining for. They've got too many toys and useless gadgets as it is, and you know it.

It's Christmas, and the last thing they need is more stuff. What they need is a better understanding of what the Christmas holiday actually means. Take this opportunity to teach them. It is your duty, as parents. (Duty, that's an odd word to bring up, an old word, and one that seemingly has less to do with parenthood every day.)

I can imagine your thoughts, even now - "Isn't a parent's primary duty to keep their kids happy? Aren't kids with all the latest gadgets the happiest? If I don't give them new stuff, aren't I a bad parent? If I don't buy them all this stuff, they'll whine and it will ruin the holidays."

Sure, they'll whine. So what? Ask yourself this question: "Am I raising children? Or am I raising adults?". They are already children, your duty as parents is to turn them into adults; responsible, mature, honest, forthright and healthy adults. How is a new Xbox going to help turn a child into an adult?

Simply, it's not. No amount of stuff, no matter how cool, can teach morality and ethics, honour and compassion, integrity and love. If you truly love your children, give them what they need, not what they want.

Take all the money, time and effort you planned to spend on these "gifts", and use it to teach your kids the "real" meaning of Christmas. Spend time with them, not money! Talk to them, let them know what you have in mind, and ask them how to best celebrate the holiday - you might be surprised at the response. Rather than spend $100 on a new stereo, buy $100 worth of blankets and spend the day passing them out to the homeless. Forego the new TV, and spend a weekend volunteering at the local hospital. Spend the day with your child, not in line at the nearest Future Shop.

Whether or not you accept the supernatural origin of the man called Christ, is irrelevant. You don't need to be a Christian to celebrate Christmas. His message still has merit, and there are few who would argue with a call for a little more tolerance, a bit more compassion, and a lot of "looking out for the other guy".

Merry Christmas