A Family’s Perfect Christmas Gift

It’s that time of year again. Parents and grandparents are scurrying around to find the perfect Christmas present for their loved ones. They’re tired, cranky, and it’s not much fun when they’re concerned the child won’t like it as much as they thought they would.

“What Christmas gift can I give to my children who seem to have everything?”

How about time? What price tag would you place on that gift of time? With more and more parents working several jobs to place the desires of their children’s hearts under the tree at Christmas, aren’t they missing out on what’s most important?

Christmas is supposed to be honoring the birth of Jesus, not accumulating the most presents. How much is it worth to enjoy each other’s company each Christmas? Would you be able to place a price tag on that?

Growing up extremely poor,  my favorite memories were creating handmade presents with my mom. That closeness was my most valuable gift.

I also remember being nine years old and creating a Christmas play with my younger sisters to present to the family on Christmas Eve. It didn’t cost a thing except time. That cherished evening has been carefully tucked away in my memory vault.

This year, why not make Christmas about togetherness and the New Year happily inspiring your children to become kinder and caring?

Many children are living in a challenging environment. They are fearful because they might be dealing with peer pressure, bullying, prejudices, punishment, or other perplexing issues. How can a loving parent help them deal with these personal issues in a non-condeming, productive way?

God’s Furry Messengers: Life Lessons Learned from Dogs, is the perfect family gift this Christmas.

Told through the eyes of an adorable family and their pets, the parent (or older sibling) pauses to ask pertinent questions which opens a dialogue. It’s an interactive way to address challenging topics today that you might not realize your child is facing.

God’s Furry Messengers is the tale of three dogs and the humans who lived with them. The Marshalls are a loving family consisting of a ten-year-old son named Alex, a seven-year-old daughter named Mattie, their mom Lydia, and their dad, Jim.

Sebastian the Wise, an older Cocker spaniel, is indeed very intelligent. God has endowed him with great wisdom, patience, and grace to teach other dogs to respect our Heavenly Master.

Jinx, a Lhasa apso, thinks she’s wise but instead is a wise guy. She’ll discover she has a great deal to learn at any age.

TJ is the new puppy in the household. He’s energetic, loving, and trusting, yet has so much to learn about this new world he lives in.

He has a heart for adventures which leads him into some troubling situations. Therefore, the T affectionately stands for “Trouble.” As he grows, he’s curious and questions everything. This can wear on the most patient of families and his two dog siblings.

In this turbulent world today, I believe this illustrated book is a sweet way to address a child’s understanding and unlock solutions to complicated problems they might deal with in their future.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

Now back to Christmas: how many things does a family need? Aren’t people more important than presents? Isn’t the smile on a face more important than any gift itself? God’s Furry Messengers attempts to direct a young person’s thought patterns toward kindness and respect for others. So perhaps a loving, appreciative youth is the best present of all!

God’s Furry Messengers: Life Lessons Learned from Dogs is available on amazon.com in paperback form for an affordable price. You can read a sample here.