Christmas Gifts | The Gift of Giving and Kindness

This Christmas the most sought after gift from Santa for most kids is probably an Xbox, PlayStation, laptop, smart watch, or IPhone. The gifts that give the most long term joy however, are those that have memories attached. The gifts that can entice a feeling are those gifts that keep on giving.

Many of our gifts sold at Christmas time, are those that spark joy. It is this feeling of joy that we look for with all of our gifts, and what we seek to create at this special time of the year.

The greatest gifts are not wrapped in paper, they are wrapped in love.

We asked our 4 and 5 year old kids what they thought Christmas was all about and they replied reflectively, “We get gifts if you’re good, and give gifts to people if they’re good” , and “We get presents from Santa!”, and while technically they are correct, this is only the material side of Christmas. It is up to us as parents to teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas.

Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.

Let’s have a closer look into the true spirit of giving.

There is a classic short story about two people, who each sacrificed their most loved possessions to be able to afford the perfect gift to give each other. The wife cut and sold her gorgeous long hair to buy her husband a platinum chain for his watch. In return, he sold his most loved watch to buy his wife a beautiful set of combs for her gorgeous long hair. Their love for each other, far outweighed what the other viewed as their most treasured possession.

The thought and love between these two people is just one example of what the true gift of giving is - to give without expectation of self-gain, to give with love in your heart.

Fun Fact: People who are thoughtful and generous towards other people are shown to be less depressed, anxious and feel more connected to the community around them.

Giving is not a logical action but rather one of emotion. It is the thought of the gift that brings a smile to your own face as well as the person you give the gift to. These gifts don’t have to be bought,  they can be handmade, the gift of time spent with someone who needs some company, doing some volunteer work to benefit other people, placing a gift under the giving tree for someone less fortunate or donating to our struggling farmers and their families at a time that they need our support.

It’s not about how much we give, but how much love we put into giving – Mother Teresa

There are many ways that you can give that do not require any money to be spent. You can give a compliment, a handpicked flower, a nice note left for someone. One of the most powerful gifts you can give to someone, is a smile. The little gifts of love and kindness can make someone’s day and lift their spirits, and this in return will lift your own spirit.

No-one has ever become poor by giving – Anne Frank

Giving gifts is important for human interaction; it can help define relationships, strengthen bonds with friends, colleagues and family and is a way that you can show your gratitude for the people you care about and let them know how important they are to you.

Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have - Jim Rohn

Gift giving is more than just giving a gift; it is a demonstration of your feelings.

One of the most popular, most loved holiday stories which demonstrates the gift of giving is A Christmas Carol , which follows the character Ebenezer Scrooge through his losses as a result of his greed and the lessons that he finally learns from three unlikely visitors who each take him on a journey outside his comfort zone, and finally to the true meaning of Christmas.

Scrooge drives away his love Belle as she cannot stand to stay with him because she has fallen to second priority in his life – after his love and need for money. One night, Scrooge receives three visitors during his sleep …

The first visitor Scrooge encounters is the ghost of Christmas past to take Scrooge on a look back to Christmases past. By the end of their look back on Scrooges life he becomes filled with sadness and regret and learns that the simple things in life like friendships, love and laughter hold great value and learning. This visit begins Scrooge’s transformation.

The Ghost of Christmas Present next appears to Scrooge and takes him to his employee’s house where Scrooge watches the poor, but happy family celebrate their Christmas, despite the hardships of poor health, and a lack of possessions. Although the family is poor, they are far happier than Scrooge because they have the love of their family and friends.

The third ghost is that of Christmas Future. This ghost takes Scrooge on a journey of misery, sadness and loneliness, and shows Scrooge the only future he will have if he does not change his miserly ways.

Scrooge then wakes up in his bedroom and vows to live by the lessons that he has learnt from the three ghosts. He immediately starts doing right by the people he has wronged, and immediately feels the joy in his heart that this brings, leading him to want to spread this joy through further acts of kindness to all around him.

Fun Fact: The word Scrooge started as the name for a character in A Christmas Carol and now it is a word  that is commonly used in everyday language as a word for someone who is selfish and does not like giving or parting with any money.

The festive season is so much more than parties and material gift giving. With just one act of kindness you can inspire others to go out and plant seeds of happiness along their way.

This Christmas, be kind. Give with your heart, and may your Christmas be filled with the true meaning of this beautiful time, warming your heart all year long.

#FestiveForagingMossVale

https://www.thevintagetoybox.com.au/blog/moss-vale-festive-foraging-2019

Christmas Shopping | Festive Fun | Moss Vale Festive Foraging

Late night shopping and festive fun is coming again this Christmas to Moss Vale, thanks to The Vintage Toy Box and the Moss Vale Independent Retail Association.

On Thursday 12 December between 4 pm and 9pm, Argyle Street and surrounds is going to stay up late as part of Moss Vale Festive Foraging.

Not only will this be a chance to meet Santa and sing along with our local carollers and the Wingecarribee Vocal Musters, but it will be a fantastic opportunity to pick up some exclusive offers from participating outlets.

Best of all, lucky ‘foragers’ who follow the Christmas map and collect the 12 Christmas stamps in any of the participating businesses will go into the draw to win a Festive Forager prize pack on the night, from a total prize pool of $3000.

The prize will be drawn at the Southern Highlands Brewing & Taphouse in Moss Vale at 9pm on Thursday 12th December 2019.

We are delighted to be able to showcase some fantastic local talents, with entertainment throughout the afternoon and evening, and throughout the Foraging Trail from:

• Wingecarribee Vocal Muster (Outside Suzie Anderson Home)

• Pointe Dynamic Arts (Leighton Gardens)

• Moss Vale Anglican Street Carol Singers (Upper Argyle)

• Chaszenry (Outside Mossy Store)

• Joyce Dingjan (Outside Moss Vale Mall)

• White Waratah Face Painting (Leighton Gardens)

• and of course … Santa and Mrs Clause who will be putting on an appearance throughout the evening!

As well as many other special treats, there will be a special prize on the night from The Vintage Toy Box for the best dressed Christmas outfit in the theme of ‘The 12 days of Christmas’, so come in your festive finery!

There will be plenty of places to grab a bite to eat, and something for all palates, with the following participating outlets open on the night:

• Wine Mosaic Lounge (upstairs and downstairs!)

• The Taphouse

• Moey’s Kebab and Pide

• Moss Vale Hotel and Porterhouse Bistro

• Post Office Moss Vale

• Birch Restaurant

• Bernie’s Diner

• The Argyle Hotel

As well as many more, and treats in Leighton Gardens from:

• A Van Called Delilah

• Van Morton

Shoppers will also get the chance to vote on the Best Dressed Christmas Window on the evening, with the People’s Choice Winner winning this fantastic business prize pack:

• 2 hours FREE legal advice for the winning business, to a value of $1,100 from Palmer Legal.

• 1 months FREE advertising on ALL of their electronic advertising boards from BDCU Alliance Bank

• $200 advertising boost from University of Woolongong Southern Highlands Campus in Moss Vale

All Moss Vale CBD Business with a window are eligible to enter. The winner will be the business with the most votes at the end of the evening and will be announced at 9pm as part of the Festive Foraging Prize Draw.

Some of our retailers will be offering a special gift wrapping service for a gold coin donation. This year we are getting behind the NSW RFS and will be donating your donations to them for all of the great work that they are doing for all of us. Look out for the gift wrap signs!

Spread the word and get the whole family down for an evening of festive fun and frivolity!

Follow #festiveforagingmossvale on Instagram for updates.

Happy foraging!

Plan your route in advance with our interactive Festive Foraging Map showing the participating businesses on our Festive Forage Trail.

NSW Permit No. LTPS/19/39653

For further information visit: https://www.facebook.com/MossValeIndependentRetailAssociation/

Christmas Shopping | Festive Fun | Moss Vale Festive Foraging Event

Late night Christmas shopping is coming to Argyle Street, Moss Vale - the hottest, hippest place in the Southern Highlands for food, shopping and overall fabulousness!

On Thursday 13 December between 6 and 9pm, Argyle Street is going to stay up late as part of Moss Vale Festive Foraging.

Not only will this be a chance to meet Santa and sing along with our local carolers, but it will be a fantastic opportunity to pick up some exclusive offers from participating outlets.

Best of all, one lucky ‘forager’ who follows the Christmas map and explores each of the participating Argyle Street outlets between Tuesday 11th December and 9 pm on Thursday 13th December will win a special Festive Forager prize pack valued at over $3000. The prize will be drawn at the Taphouse at 9:30pm on Thursday 13th December where you can rest your weary shopper’s feet and relax with a well-earned drink.

Argyle Street is home to a diverse range of distinctive and unique service, retail and food outlets, radiating north and south of the famous Moss Vale railway bridge. 

For more details about Moss Vale Festive Foraging, download the map and raffle entry and check out outlets featuring the Festive Foraging poster or #festiveforagingmossvale on Instagram.

For a full list of participating businesses check out The Fold Southern Highlands Event Page.

Happy foraging!