Dirty Santa

this time of the year it seems we find more ways to spend money than we usually do. One of the things I hate about Christmas time is that we play these games with our money. I personally am not a gambler but I know that some enjoy this type of activity but it seems like a stupid thing to me. Secret Santa, White Elephant…whatever you want to call it, this game is a waste of money. Everyone goes out and wastes 5-10 bucks (at least where I come from) on some piece of junk that no one wants. At the end of the game everyone goes home mad because the only thing they wanted is the very thing they brought themselves (that is the case for those who spent time trying to find something valuable for such a small amount of money). I am not saying that giving is bad but it basically ends up that it is a game that no one enjoys because they threw away their money. I would be surprised if someone actually had a memory of a gift they received from this type of game that did not include the trash can.

the point of this post is to encourage you to try something different this season. Instead of taking 5, 10, or whatever amount you would spend on a game like this and throwing it in the trash via a crappy gift, I would encourage you to find someone in need to give money to. The past three years our small group has given money or gifts (amount is insignificant) to a family or people in need. This seems to be a much better way of using the resources that God has given us to impact the lives of those around us.