So this Christmas I wasn't sure what I should give people as a gift. Jeff still being out of work made money really tight this year. I was really worried and it wasn't until I went to church and they introduced The Advent Conspiracy and the first topic was spend less, give more. I thought, "Perfect!" and the message brought wonderful ideas to a family that is tight on cash. Also Jeff and I wanted to break away from all the commercialism that was surrounding Christmas. First our small group decided to pitch-in and buy a goat for a family in another country. (Sorry I can't seem to remember what country it was).
Another suggestion was give time with each other. Your presence is a good present. So I was trying to think of what I could do with my family that would be a good way of spending time together. I got crafty and made coupons that were specified to each person and each one was either a way I could spend time with them or do something for them, like clean the house or wash the car. The next thing was I bought some wood photo frames and one night we all sat down to paint them. The trick was I said that in order to receive the picture for the frame we all had to paint them together. My family had a great time painting and we all had a blast enjoying each others presence. So here are a few pictures of us painting and the finish products of the frames.
