Today, the holidays are all about giving the biggest and most expensive gifts to your loved ones. Children wanting the newest technology, toys, clothes and shoes to show off to their friends at school. It seems as if people have lost the real meaning of the holidays. They have forgotten that for Christians Christmas is about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. They have forgotten that we are supposed to be spending time with our families and friends, those who mean the most of us. While the holidays are a time for giving, this year we should all take a step back from giving the newest and brightest things advertised on television to giving the things that don’t necessarily have a price tag.

1. Love

Love is unconditional. The birth of Jesus should remind us that because of Him, none of us would be here. So, love your family and friends just as they love you. Show them how much they mean to you this holiday season, and take it into the New Year and continue to show them how much you love them every day.

2. Quality Time

Spend some quality family time together. Decorate the Christmas tree and make some hot cocoa, while you sit around the tree and watch your favorite Christmas movie or read your favorite Christmas story together.

3. Volunteer

Take some time out of your holiday break to serve a meal at a soup kitchen, read stories to children who are hospitalized or living in a homeless shelter. There are countless opportunities and different ways to get involved at various places locally and throughout Atlanta.

4. Christmas Caroling

As a young teen my church youth group and I went Christmas caroling at one of the local assisted living facilities, where the residents are bed-ridden, chronically ill or not able to live on their own anymore due to mental illness or just old age. So, get your closest friends, youth group or family together and call a local assisted living facility to see if you too can visit the residents to spread holiday cheer!

5. Get Creative

Maybe you want to make your loved ones something special, like breakfast in bed, homemade Christmas cookies, hand-made ornaments for your family Christmas tree, hand-crafted gift for your loved ones and the list could go on and on. I think gifts that are made from the heart mean so much more than anything you could ever buy. And if you're looking for more inspiration, Pinterest is always a great place to explore!

6. Recreate Memories

I am sure your parents have pictures of you and your siblings from when you were all young children laying around the house collecting dust in some boxes. But if you want to get really creative and sentimental how about recreating those memories with your siblings and giving the new photos, alongside the old ones, to your parents? Sure, it may cost a few dollars to print the new pictures, but the memories you might be reliving and recreating are priceless, as well as the memories your parents have from each of the moments and the expression on their faces they will have when they open their gift.

7. A Helping Hand

Whether it be cleaning around the house, making dinner, running errands, helping someone across the street or donating socks and mittens to put on the giving tree at church, whatever it may be it will make a difference and be more rewarding for yourself than giving any monetary gift.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill