Alternative Christmas

This year the youth group I work with will be adding a Christian alternative spin to our Christmas party! Unfortunately much of the holidays have become self-centered. Focusing on having more and more stuff, making ourselves happy, and receiving rather than giving. So this year we want to set ourselves apart from the rest of the world in the way we celebrate Christmas and will focus on embodying Christ's Spirit of love, joy, peace, giving, selflessness and self-sacrifice. How will we do this? By doing a "Buy Nothing Gift Exchange"! Rather than spending $5 dollars on gifts for our gift exchange we aren't going to spend anything! And instead we’ll use the money that we would have spent on ourselves, to bless someone who actually needs a loving gift this Christmas.

Here is how it works:

Everyone will bring gifts that they have either: (1) hand crafted themselves, (2) have recreated (like a glass jar that is recreated it into an awesome lamp!), or (3) items that they already own but no longer use and want to pass on to someone else (like a book you have already read, or a movie you never watch).

Each person attending the party will also bring $5 to contribute towards giving a gift to someone in need. We will choose either a child who otherwise wouldn't have much of a Christmas, or a missionary (who often doesn't get Christmas bonuses like most), to give our gift to.

It is that easy! Now you know how to throw your own Alternative Christmas party in your community.

Let us boldly embrace Christ likeness over the holidays, and make Him rather than ourselves the center and focus of all we do!