Do you have anyone in your life who is hard to buy for at Christmastime? Do you find yourself saying “I have no idea what to get him / her- they don’t need anything!” If so, this episode is for you.
Krista and Alex begin by talking about why gift giving matters and the spirit that fuels the tradition. We then give you TONS of ideas. From low cost ideas to experiences to subscriptions to tech – we’ve got you covered.
There is no question that the longer we wait to decide what we are giving, the more stress builds, adding to our holiday frenzy. Listen today – decide on your gift – then ENJOY the holiday season!
SOME THINGS YOU HEARD ON THE SHOW
Priya Parker – The Art of Gathering
BUY SERVICES THAT HELP
- housecleaning
- babysitting
- pet sitting
- dinner delivered
- tech support
- personal trainer
THINK LIKE AN AUCTION HOST – PLAN EXPERIENCES
- Trader Joe’s basket
- golf simulator time
- tickets to a show
- fly fishing guided trip
- basketball game tickets
- dinner cooked by a local chef (or you!)
- tea party for 8
- pop up picnic in the park
- red party – everything is red
- a standing date once a month
- classes
- overnight or weekend away
- dueling piano bar
- summer concert
HOMEMADE GIFTS
- art work
- poem
- macrame
- family travel maps
- recipe book
- homemade limoncello or kahlua
- bench made from railroad ties
- advent wreaths
- video of parents or grandparents talking about their lives
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Adventures in Odyssey Club for kids
Olympia Postal Previsions Club
TECH GIFTS
Portable speaker: Wonderboom 2
Portable car battery charger (for anyone who has a car)
Smart Frame: Skylight
Air tags (to find things) – this one is a car keyring
Alex and Krista offer inspiration for prayer and conversation around your Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering. Sprinkled with prayers, and even a historic Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, is a sister-to-sister conversation meant to give you the part practical, part inspirational you need to set your table and event.</p>
Whether you're trying to figure out how to get conversation flowing or you don't know how to do a prayer given the guests in attendance, we offer some ideas that might help get the creative ideas churning. We want you to be able to honor your guests and honor God by setting a spot where people feel comfortable expr essing gratitude.
This is one you might refer to again and again as you consider what it means to gather those you love. We hope you listen as you cook, clean, or drive as part of your Thanksgiving holiday prep. But most of all we hope you know we believe you are world changers for good right where you are, wherever that might be.
Listen to this episode:
You can listen on iTunes or watch it here:
A few things mentioned:
The Lord's Prayer
(Matthew 6:9-13) from The New Living Translation:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
Grace After Meals
From To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O'Donohue
"We end this meal with grace
For the joy and nourishment of food,
The slowed time away from the world
To come into presence with each other
And sense the subtle lives behind our faces,
The different colors of our voices,
The edges of hungers we keep private,
The circle of love that unites us.
We pray the wise spirit who keeps us
To change the structures that make others hunger
And that after such grace we might now go forth
And impart dignity wherever we partake."
Questions for the table:
1. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving or holiday memory?
2. If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be?
3. What’s the best gift you have ever received?
4. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
5. What’s the best book you’ve read and what made it so special?
6. Share about a time when you had a need. How was it met?
7. If you could meet your great great grandchildren what wisdom would you pass on
to them? What would you want them to know?
8. If you could spend one day doing a job that you are not currently doing, what would you do?
9. What’s one thing that you would love to do in your lifetime that no one knows?
10. What’s your biggest fear?
11. If you were going to open a restaurant, what would the concept be?
12. What’s the strangest thing you believed as a child?
13. If a movie was made of your life, who would play you?
14. What was your biggest fashion faux pas ever?
15. What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
16. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Prayer cards for the dinner table
Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789
"Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor-- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness."
Psalm 100:
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Thank you to our sponsor
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Hygge is trending, but what exactly is it? And why are we putting it in our Holiday series? Yes, today is the start of our Holiday series where we are looking at what we REALLY want for Christmas. And Hygge is one of the things we really want.
Hygge is a Danish practice that centers on slow living, shared moments, and fostered friendships. It nurtures beauty, contentment, and well being. When we cozy up to a fire with a warm drink in a mug, that is hygge. When we light candles, bake fresh bread, or gather around a wooden table for a hearty meal, that is hygge as well. Hygge is cozy. It’s home.
In this episode Jamie Erickson, author of the new book Holy Hygge, unpacks some of the tenets of this Danish practice and marries them with deep theological truths. We hear how Hygge can increase our sense of fulfillment and joy around the holidays and how we can bring this inviting concept into our daily lives.
Join us for this very interesting episode!
SOME THINGS YOU HEARD ON THE SHOW
Holy Hygge: Creating a Place to Gather and the Gospel to Grow by Jamie Erickson
Timothy Keller Christmas Advent book Hidden Christmas
Unwrapping The Names of Jesus (for kids)- Asherita Ciuciu
Unwrapping the Names of Jesus (for adults)
Tsh Oxenreider Shadow and Light – A Journey Into Advent
THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR - PRIMALLY PURE
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The company's Founder, Bethany, is a mom of two and farmer's wife who truly cares about the integrity of the ingredients they use and the products they create. Primally Pure's products are made at their headquarters in Southern California (not in a third party lab) by their team of skincare chefs for maximum freshness and purity.
Primally Pure offers a happiness guarantee and they will give you your money back if you aren't satisfied, but I know you will be - their products are truly transformative for the skin (perhaps touch on personal experience briefly!) and their blogis also full of information and knowledge to empower you in confidently making healthier decisions and becoming the most vibrant version of yourself.
Midlife comes with additional financial challenges. We are often paying bigger bills (think education for our kids, care for our parents, and paying of mortgages) and we are considering our financial future.
Questions like: Do we have enough coming in every month to cover what we need? Will we have enough in the future to last our lifetime? Can we give our kids a four-year college education? Can we address needs we have now while not taking away from retirement?
We bring you financial planner Kate Redden to consult us on all of the stressful questions that money and midlife bring up. She works with clients every day helping them to identify those stress points, understand where they are currently and where they want to head in coming years.
We often don't talk about money stress, but no topic is off limits for the sisterhood. This is a part practical, part inspirational conversation in that we give you both the why and the how of making a financial plan in order to relieve the stress of the unknown.
Connect with Kate
Through her website, Linkedin, or email: kredden@meritfa.com
Listen to this episode
On iTunes or watch it here:
A few things mentioned on the show
“Hot water heaters tend to blow up in mid-life for some reason.”
Thank you to our sponsor
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Subscriptions are available and they ship around the country. Why not send someone coffee on the regular as a thank you or Christmas gift? You will be a world changer for good by purchasing Servant Coffee for someone you appreciate.
Some call midlife the “sandwich season” because people in this age group are parenting young adult children while caring for aging parents.
Today we are discussing how to care well for our parents as they age, and the opportunity we have to become more Christ-like in the process.
Jane Daly, author of The Caregiving Season, is joining us to talk about her own experience caring for both of her parents. We explore the difference between “parenting” and “coaching” our parents.
We also discuss how to take away car keys, what happens if their mind fails before their body, what information we need to have on file in case of a death or injury, and how to divide up caregiving duties between siblings.
If you are nearing a caregiving season, or are in one right now, this episode will be a source of encouragement, help, and inspiration.
You can find Jane at her website
SOME THINGS YOU HEARD ON THE SHOW
The Caregiving Season by Jane Daly