Praying

I have been praying a lot lately for all sorts of things and all kinds of people. So when I thought of this idea I thought it would be great to share because I hope someone who got my Christmas card does the same for me.
I always felt bad when Christmas was over and it was time to pack everything away and I faced the dilemma of what to do with the cards we received, especially the photo cards. I would feel bad throwing them in the trash. Well seeing how I do prayer journaling, don't be to impressed (Writing down my prayers just helps me focus when I'm praying.) I thought it would be a good idea to tape these photos in my journal thus reminding me to pray for these people all year. I also like to look back and see what prayers have been answered.

Speaking of prayer I got a sample of Mark Batterson's new book The Circle Maker. I highly recommend it! Just the sample was awesome. Here are a couple of quotes:
Ultimately, the transcript of your prayers becomes the script of your life.
If your prayers aren't impossible to you, they are insulting to God.

Want, Wear, Need, Read

After lots of questions I thought I would share the type of gift giving we do with our kids at Christmas. First of all I didn't think of this idea myself, like all great ideas it was passed on to me a several years ago and it has worked great for our family.

During Christmas our kids get four gifts, yes 4! There are 3 of them so we still have to buy 12 gifts. They can choose something they want, something they can wear and something they can read and something they need. I'll be honest when we announced this the first time they weren't super excited but now it's just the norm.
I often get asked do they get to pick? Yes and no. We try our best to get them their want (within reason). This is usually a more expensive and at our kids ages something electronic.
Wear: We will usually come to a compromise on this item. I ask them for several options.
Read: This is pretty obvious, a book.
Need: We (Alan and I) usually pick the need, because their idea of need and mine are usually different. Things like shoes, new coat, bedding. Things that are not usually glamorous but needed.
Why do we do this? We have found this helps us focus on the real meaning of Christmas. This also prevents the "balancing gifts dilemma" so many parents struggle with, especially when you have multiple kids. It also helps keep costs down. We have also found they really appreciate the gifts they get and use them a lot more. We've found this helps us focus on traditions rather than stuff.
If you like this idea just go for it. Your kids might complain at first but you hold cash so don't ask permission just do it.