advent conspiracy

we're already struggling this year with the over-the-top commercialism of christmas. this concept is nothing new to the world at large (well, to the united states at large), but it's new to our children. for the first time, liam is really getting sucked in -- adding more and more toys to his wish list every day, and looking at the calendar to calculate how many more days until santa arrives. susanna, as with everything, is learning by her big brother's example. ironically, as i was online researching dollhouses tonight, i came across the video below. i love the message; i love the truth of it; i love how it inspires. i'm sure we'll still find ourselves at toys r us within the next few weeks, loading our shopping cart ... old habits are hard to break, and really, we would never want to deny our kids the joy of running down the stairs on christmas morning in eager anticipation of what might be under the tree. but my hope is that through this upcoming season of advent, chris and i will teach them that far more important than what's under the tree is what's around it: family. and love. and health. and hope. and faith. God bless.