3 Ways to Teach Compassion This Christmas
Who am I writing this blog post for? Me. 100%. Why am I writing it? Because one of my children gave me a Christmas wish list 30 items long. And another circled every single item in the American Girl catalog. And our conversations have centered squarely around what we are all “getting” for Christmas. So yeah, something feels a bit unbalanced.
So here are three things we’re going to do to have a more compassionate and others-minded Christmas this year. But first, let’s lay the foundation with a definition of compassion. In Greater Good Magazine, Hooria Jazaieri breaks compassion down this way:
Bringing attention or awareness to recognizing that there is suffering
Feeling emotionally moved by that suffering
Wishing there to be relief from that suffering
A readiness to take action to relieve that suffering
Compassion is feeling paired with action. And fortunately for our family, compassion is also like a muscle; the more we exercise it, the stronger it'll become. This is how we’re using Christmas to grow our compassion muscles this year.
1. Write a Christmas “Give” List
Compassion starts with thinking about others—family members, neighbors, friends, even strangers! This year, we’re emphasizing the give list just as much as the wishlist. It’s so fun to see what our kids think up for each other and other family members. If they have anything to say about it, Jeremiah has an Xbox coming his way 😉
2. Move Outside the Circle
There’s a dilemma (well, many if we’re honest) with a global pandemic that has caused widespread shutdowns and very real challenges. We’ve become more secluded at a time when the needs around us have grown. Our kids just moved to distance learning; we’re not visiting friends and family; we’re not really going anywhere. And we’ve gotten pretty comfortable (and sometimes a little bored) within the four walls of our house.
I’d love to see what would happen if we presented our kids with a need in our community and asked them to help us figure out how to meet it.
Example: “Hey, there are a lot of lonely people in nursing homes right now that can’t have visitors because of COVID. How do you think you can make a difference for these people?”
They get to take ownership in a way that moves them from participants to activators.
3. Keep It Going
The Christmas season is a great time to (re)establish our family’s priorities. Caring for others is high on the list, and we want to be intentional about keeping it there. Finding a specific person to love and intentionally serve every month, sponsoring a child, or reading books that help us see beyond ourselves are a few ways to build in rhythms of compassion throughout the year.
Cheers to a Christmas and an entire year filled with teaching our kids compassion!
