We often get so busy around the holiday trying to find all the right ‘gifts’ for our loved ones, so they know we care.  The spirit of Christmas is based on the supreme concept of giving- God gave us His Son so we could know His love.

It is easy to get wrapped up in the commercialism of Christmas, thinking the reason of the event is the gifts.  But, the true reason is not ‘gifts’, but ‘giving’, and many philosophers much wiser than me have proven that ‘giving’ actually benefits the giver more than the receiver. 

The Heather Scott Home & Design team had the opportunity to experience the joy of giving last week when we volunteered a work day to help Northpoint Church as they prepare to move into a new facility.  We spent the day painting the walls in their new pre-school children’s area.

The amazing team at Northpoint had sketched by hand their concept for the kids area.  They then drew chalk lines on the walls for what needed to be painted.  Before we arrived, they spent a couple of days painting hills and water.  We showed up and got to paint all the fun stuff, like the animals and flowers.

Our staff is so creatively talented it amazes me.  With little experience in painting and no experience painting murals, our team brought to life lions, gazelles, monkeys and other fun animals just by following the chalk lines already on the walls. 

Gazelles Before (Sarah painting):

Gazelles After:

Flowers and Leaves Before (Olivia painting):

Flowers and Leaves After:

Lion Before (Lilly painting):

Lion During:

Lion After:

While it was a ‘volunteer’ day for us, giving our time to a not-for-profit versus making money getting our work done, spending time giving was no sacrifice for any of us.  We had such fun and it was really rewarding to leave a positive mark on little children for years to come.

I’d like to encourage you to think about what the meaning is behind giving this season and make sure you allocate your time to the things, and people, that really matter!  Merry Christmas!