Another occurrence last year is that my family and I were introduced to a family Christmas tradition that helped us focus on the true spirit of Christmas. It is called the Christmas Love Box. The Christmas Love Box tradition "begins when family and friends each have a box, write love notes to each other & later read them to each other. Creating a close family, forever.”
This family tradition helps your family “celebrate the holidays in a more meaningful and spiritual way. Transcend the ‘What did you get’ mentality to feeling the spirit of kindness and love. Discover the true meaning of Christmas – gratitude, joy and love for family and friends. There are no greater gifts. Capture your families’ truest sentiments and give the gift that lasts a lifetime.”
We found these descriptions of the Christmas Love Box to be more than mere words, but truth. The night before Christmas, as we shared our love notes with one another, our time together was overwhelming, from least to greatest! This year my children couldn’t wait to bring out our family Love Box so we could begin writing our Love Notes to one another!
I encourage you to consider incorporating this wonderful Christmas tradition into your family festivities. It will bring the true spirit of Christmas into every gift opened, and help your entire family remember what this day is all about.
Blessings and Merry Christmas,
Dawn~
~Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.~
Read what the creator of the Christmas Love Box, Christine Martinello, has to say...
How did the Christmas Love Box begin?
"It started in 1999 on a cold, wet day in November, when I took my children – 5 year old David, 3-year old Tina & 2-year old Steve- Christmas shopping. We were walking around a huge store and we were looking at all this stuff. The kids were pointing out toys they would like to get for Christmas. I was looking at everything on the shelves and this thought went through my head, “What can I buy my kids to show them how much I really love them?” There was nothing in the store, so we went home empty handed that day.”
Later that night, my husband Bob & I were trying to figure out how to show love for Christmas instead of just giving presents. We decided to write love notes to the kids and each other. On Christmas Eve day we each wrote a love note or drew pics to each other telling each other what we loved about each other. On Christmas Even night we gathered together in the living room, lit candles and read the birth of Jesus story from the Bible. Then we went around the room reading each other the love notes. It was a night filled with peace, appreciation and love for each other.
The tradition was born and we have done it every Christmas Eve since. It has been the best gift, to share the gift of love with family and friends, one love note at a time."
For the past 10 years I have shared the concepts about the tradition with friends and groups while doing speaking events. Year after year, people tried it and then came back to me and say, “This tradition is so beautiful and powerful. Can you write a book about it or make it?” I thought, I don’t know how to do that. In 2012 I thought about turning into a product. It was a difficult year. My father was terminally ill and both my parents were living with us. My Dad passed away in April and my son David graduated from high school in May. During that summer Dave and I were going through all his ‘stuff’ to decide what he was going to bring with him to college in Aug. He wanted to bring a piece of the family with him, so he packed family photos along with a few love notes in his wallet. It was then that I felt in my heart that this was something really special. Our sacred family tradition built a foundation of love in our family and each child could hold the love of family and friends forever.
Bob & I prayed for months about what God wanted us to do next and I felt him nudging us to create it. God gave our family this gift and now it was time to share it with others. So we did. After a lot of development and hard work, we came up with The Christmas Love Box. Each kit includes a fully illustrated ‘Christmas Love Box’ book with children’s story, poems about love that Bob wrote and an adult ‘How to’ section with everything families need to get started. There are also 30 Christmas Love Note cards and a keepsake box for storage.
Impact on other families
Everyone who does the tradition is impacted in a meaningful and unforgettable way. When love is released many amazing things happen from healing hurt relationships to hugs & tears, to a deeper connection with our loved ones as we feel the magic of love.
Read more stories in the article below...