Our parish has a giving tree every Advent. The Sunday after Thanksgiving they put a Christmas tree up in our narthex covered in little colored paper cut outs of Christmas bulbs. One each of these paper ornaments there is a label that tells about a particular charity. On the flip side it lists possible gifts you could give to the charity. As people come out of Mass and pass by the tree, they pick some of these paper ornaments off the tree. Then at some later weekend in Advent, everyone delivers the gifts they've bought per instructions on the little label to the parish activity center. In the activity center, each table is labeled with a different charity and you go and put your gifts on the appropriate table.
We've been participating in this every Advent since we started going to this parish, 11 years ago. I usually pick one paper ornament (that means charity) per member of the family. Then we have an annual family tradition of going shopping for our giving tree gifts. We did that yesterday. The gifts are due at the activity center tomorrow. This morning for the first time ever I actually helped set up the room to receive the donations tomorrow. And then I helped put Thank You paper ornaments up on the Giving Tree, to say thanks to all the parishioners who participate, which I believe is most of them. The lists of charities is long: crisis pregnancy center, toys for sick children, prison ministry, helping the homeless, the handicapped, troubled teens, immigrants and refugees. . . . not sure if I got quite all of them!
It's a good way to prepare for Christmas!
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