How Many Days Until Christmas?

It’s started already! The Christmas Wreaths on lamp posts. The seasonal merchandise in stores and those darn Saturday morning cartoons toy commercials which turn even the most angelic kids into screaming Gimme Monsters.

A commercial break doesn’t go by without Grace yelling from the playroom, “Mommy I want Trinity doll” or “Mommy, I want that Ariel doll with the fins that light up.”

Earlier this week I tried to instill the importance of giving instead of getting to my kids. We had our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes all packed, and I wanted to have them pray for the kids who would be receiving them.

That was the plan. Then Grace saw the dollar store pony in one of the boxes and turned into the screaming Gimme Monster. It turned into a full blown fit. I told her this poor child would only get this one box for Christmas. That didn’t phase my four year old who had obviously already been brainwashed at her young life that no matter how much she had, she always needed more.

Then my older two got into an arguement, and I emotionally wigged out at my children’s lack of compassion for others and each other.

My morning plan backfired and I set aside our little project, but I was determined to try again. Yesterday, I pulled the boxes back out again and Grace’s attitude had turned around 100%! She had no problem giving away the pony, and I was reassured that my children did have giving hearts.

Now if I can just keep them away for those Saturday morning cartoons.