The holidays are a time of family fun, decorations, festivities.  Children pick up on the excitement, but I have found that they are the best at learning the art of giving.

James Cash Penney, founder of department store J.C. Penney once said "How can we expect our children to know and experience the joy of giving unless we teach them that the greater pleasure in life lies in the art of giving rather than receiving?"

For families interested in lessening the commercial aspect of our holidays, Suki Wessling led us to a site with testimonials from individuals who altered their holiday focus. It's inspiring! We've included a few of their stories right here!

We know a mom who is turning her love of crafting into her own business.  When we met her she was wearing a beautiful hand-knit poncho.  See her ad below.

Listen to Michael Olson's show on Saturday as he asks investigative journalist Dan Olmstead, "Whereas the rate of autism in the general population is 1 child in 166, the rate among the Amish is 1 in 15,000. This anomaly leads us to ask... Why do we have 90 times more autism than the Amish?"  Topics include a profile of autism; how the incidence of autism appears to be growing among the general population; and why so few Amish are afflicted.

For you, in the spirit of giving....

Parmalee

It was a brisk fall afternoon back in 1994 and I was a young financial advisor in Philadelphia, PA who was about to experience a life-changing conversation with my good friend Bill.  Bill shared with me over lunch that day that his in-laws, Trudy and Sam, had been struggling with how to manage the gift-giving extravaganza that had overtaken their family Christmas celebration. They were especially concerned with how it was impacting their grandchildren.

Trudy and Sam's solution: counter the "it's all about me" focus with a simple act of gratitude. In addition to one gift, each grandchild also received a "share check." Here's how it worked. The "share check" was a $25 check from Trudy and Sam with everything filled-in except the "pay to the order of." It was intentionally left blank. The goal: each grandchild had to give the money away to a charitable cause they were passionate about. And the best part, it worked! The grandkids now use their "share checks" along with their own money to make a difference in the world.

Nathan Dungan is the founder of Share Save Spend® and co-author of Personal Finance: A Lifetime of Responsibility, a textbook for high school students.

People have celebrated the holiday season from time immemorial, the magical moment of the solstice never ceasing to amaze us as the sun begins its long return home. But as we all know, the corporate commercialization of the holidays has transformed this precious time into one of material lust and stressful shopping. To begin reclaiming the mid-winter we can "Buy green, buy fair (trade), buy local, buy used, and most importantly, buy less." 

We can also give our children an unexpected gift: a week free of television. It's a gift that may take some getting used to, but the rewards are great. Suddenly there is bountiful time to be together as a family. There is space for quiet, with all its multi-colored nuances. There is a seed planted that can grow into more TV-free time during the rest of the year. The holidays are reclaimed.

Allen Kanner, PhD is a clinical psychologist and a founding member of CCFC. He's a father, a columnist for Tikkun Magazine, and co-editor of Psychology and Consumer Culture, and of Ecopsychology.

On Christmas Eve, my wife and I sit down and make little colored pencil drawings on slips of paper as coupon gifts for our two sons. Some coupons let them skip their fruit or vegetable at dinner but still get dessert, some let them stay up 15 minutes past their regular bedtime, some let them not have to pick up their mess after they've been playing, and some make it so my wife or I stop what we are doing and read them a book or play a game of their choice. For their birthdays, I also give each boy a "Fun Day with Dad" coupon, where each gets to plan a whole day of activities. Now our boys sometimes give us coupons for presents too - my wife and I have received coupons for back massages, taking out the compost, and even "no bickering for the whole day."

Tim Kasser, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Knox College. He's a father and author of The High Price of Materialism.

Presence always trumps presents. More than any transient toy your kids crave time and attention, let them bask in your presence. If you're a live-away parent, be with your child through personal communication and traditions, rather than trying to "make up" for your situation with a flood of presents. Instead of the latest electronic gadget, give your child time (and be sure to keep the commitments you make). Here are a few examples: ♦ Take a simple trip together; ♦ Make a commitment to spend one hour of one-on-one time with her, once a week, all year; ♦ Make homemade decorations together and regale her with stories from your childhood holidays; ♦ Pick one day between now and the holidays to just watch her non-judgmentally all day. Just be aware of how unique and special she is. At the end of the day, write down everything you love about her and give her the list as a holiday gift.

Joe Kelly-The Dad Man-is a father, speaker, writer, blogger, activist and consultant. He is the author of Dads and Daughters: How to Inspire, Understand, and Support Your Daughter When She's Growing Up So Fast

Before I became a parent, I read articles and books about how kids long for more time with parents, how they value traditions and family activities more than stuff, but I think on some level I was skeptical. While visiting friends or family members, I saw their young kids dive into their holiday present piles and they sure didn't look dissatisfied in the moment. I thought that cultivating a sense of appreciation for the non-stuff parts of the holidays with my own child would be hard, requiring great restraint. It wasn't until I became a parent that I realized how wrong I was.

It's really true - kids do love baking cookies and making handmade gifts to give away. Kids really do love sharing with others less fortunate, singing songs, having traditions that mark the passing of another year. Sure, they like the presents too - let's not kid ourselves - but they quickly learn for themselves how much more lasting the joy of giving and sharing and being together is. When I ask my own daughter, now 10, what her favorite parts of the holidays are, she echoes those very articles I was skeptical of years ago: grandma visiting, our annual homemade cookie party, making decorations, gathering family around the dinner table, sharing, being together. This wasn't something I had to convince her of; in fact, she convinced me.

Annie Leonard is the creator and host of the internet film sensation "The Story of Stuff." Her book, The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-and a Vision for Change is due out in March of 2010.

For the past 15 years, I have worked with Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment (TRUCE), an organization of early childhood educators in the Boston area, preparing materials to help parents and schools deal with the impact of media and commercial culture on children. This year TRUCE created the TRUCE Infant & Toddler Play, Toys & Media Action Guide which provides information to help families make good decisions about quality toys to buy as gifts for children.

The Toy Guide also includes recommendations for shoebox gifts, collections of small, familiar items that are organized around an appealing play theme such as bathtub play or rescue play. Shoebox gifts show that expensive toys in fancy packages aren't the only way to promote quality play.

Diane Levin, PhD, is Professor of Education at Wheelock College and co-founder of CCFC. She's a mother, co-author of So Sexy So Soon and co-founder of TRUCE (materials are not copyrighted so you can reprint and use them as you wish).

Below is only a partial list of upcoming events and activities so be sure to click on our EVENT CALENDAR so you do not miss anything >>

The calendar is full of fun events, holiday fairs and open houses. Use the Calendar Search function to locate specific types of events such as Holiday Events.  Narrow your search to specific dates.

The Mad Hatters Tea Party December 13

Imagine Holiday Tea with Alice, The White Rabbit, and the Mad Hatter! The magic of the season will come alive in this inaugural event at Seascape Beach Resort to benefit Toys for Tots - Santa Cruz County. Fall Down the Rabbit Hole and enjoy sumptuous pastries, delicious sandwiches, hot chocolate, tea, and coffee with these beloved storybook characters.

There will be music by The Great Morgan, a Magic Show by the Mad Hatter, Storytelling with the Queen of Hearts, and photos with the beloved story book characters available. Calendar Details

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Don't miss this holiday treat! The Nutcracker will be performed December 18, 19 and 20, at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, featuring over eighty dancers plus the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre Orchestra: 55 professional musicians conducted by the incomparable John Larry Granger.

It stars guest artists Melody Herrera and Lucien Postlewaite, principal dancers with Houston Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet, respectively, and alumni of Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre.  Calendar Details