You give but little when you give of your possessions; it is when you give of yourself that you truly give

Kahlil Gibran

 

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it

William Arthur Ward

 

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing; it makes no noise at all, but soflty gives itself away

Eva Logue

 

The secret of life is not to have everything you want, but to want everything you have.

NEALE DONALD WALSCH, AUTHOR

 


I am not here to perfect the world, but to express my love for it.

JOHN ROBBINS, AUTHOR

 

You find true joy and happiness in life when you give and give and go on giving and never count the cost.

EILEEN CADDY, AUTHOR

May peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through

author unknown

 


 

You may feel that you would miss the act of giving and receiving presents. We would like to reassure you and offer some suggestions.


Christmas Combinations

This Christmas you may decide to:

  give your entire Christmas budget.

  donating an equal amount of money to organisations as you have spent on gifts.

 spend less on presents and tithe the remainder.

 buy one present each as a 'Kris Kringle' exchange with your family, and jointly tithe to something you all care about.

 suggest a present that your family can buy "for you" that you can then pass onto the organisation of your choice. ie dog baskets for an animal shelter.

  ask your family and friends who choose not to tithe, to give you money instead of a present, so you can tithe it yourself.

  inspire your company to tithe some of their Christmas party money to a worthy cause.



Click here if you have young children



Paving the Way

If this is your first year tithing, we suggest you inform your family and friends ahead of time about your new picture of Christmas, so they know what to expect.

Here are some possible scenarios…

Sister: Aw you're not giving presents this year. Cool, I won't either.

You: I actually am giving presents - I'm giving them to where I see there's the highest need. Maybe instead of giving me a present, you could tithe to something you believe in.
Wazza: But I've already spent 100 dollars…no…no…listen to me - ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS on a subwoofer for your car, and instead of giving me a present, you're giving it to someone else? What were you thinking?!

You: My thought was that we already have enough and it weighs on my conscience when I see how the majority of the world are living.

Husband: Sounds great sweetie, but what about the kids?

You: Well we can still give them something, and at the same time, I believe we need to show our kids that we have an abundance, and that we can share some of that.

Presenting your present when there is no present to present.

Christmas day can still be a time of feasting and abundance with only the gift itself being different. It is a joyful and fulfilling experience to sit together on Christmas day and to take turns speaking about your chosen beneficiary. This helps everyone to understand the positive impact created by each tithe.

A card is also a simple way of sharing your tithe.

Dear Mum,
This Christmas I have chosen not to buy presents. Instead I have used the money I normally spend on presents to buy 2 cows for an Indian family. Together, in the spirit of Christmas, we have enriched the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.
Love Peter

Consider attaching a small token to your card;

 Bon Bon

  Packet of seeds

  Candle

  Home-baked shortbreads

  Chocolate

 IOU breakfast in bed

E-Card

The ecard allows you to email an image and a message to your family and friends. You may wish to let them know who you are tithing to this year, or perhaps you want to introduce them to the concept for next year.