🌟 The Christmas That Changed Everything: How You Can Change the World through Giving

It was a picture-perfect Christmas scene…

I sat in our living room, surrounded by shimmering decorations and the gentle glow of twinkling lights, gazing at a tree nearly buried beneath a bounty of gifts. The presents spilled out from under its branches, stretching across the den in stacks that seemed to multiply with every glance.

Everything felt magical—abundant, even decadent.

But right there, in the heart of all that beauty, I felt it: a sharp conviction. A whisper that asked,

“Should this bounty end with us?”

I knew in my soul that my family and I were called to more—not out of guilt, but out of gratitude for what God had poured into our lives.

That was the moment everything changed for us. We started a new family Christmas tradition—one that taught our kids to look beyond themselves and showed us all how our giving could leave an eternal impact. Now every year my kids look forward to purchasing gifts from a gift catalog for those in need. 

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🎙 Meet My Guest: Kristy Graham

To help me share this life-changing journey on the latest episode of Christian Parent/Crazy World, I invited Kristy Graham of Samaritan’s Purse. Kristy is not only the host of the On the Ground with Samaritan’s Purse Podcast, but she’s also a mom of four, a military spouse, and someone who has witnessed—firsthand—the impact of generosity worldwide. Whether she’s sharing stories from disaster zones or mission fields, Kristy brings wisdom, inspiration, and a compelling vision for how families like yours and mine can shape the world through simple acts of love.

Check out this snippet from our conversation where Kristy shares how Samaritan’s Purse radically changed the life of Ibrahem, who is mute, and his wife, who is blind.  But grab some tissues first…

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🎁 Some Key Takeaways from Our Conversation:

🐣 Outward Focus Starts with Us: It was in that moment, staring at the overwhelming abundance, that I realized I had to model generosity if I wanted my children to truly grasp it. We browsed a Christmas Gift Catalog as a family, choosing gifts that would forever change lives—a goat, a water filter, a week of meals for a hungry baby.

🍯 Small Gifts, Big Hope:Kristy opened my eyes to how gifts as simple as honeybees or baby chicks can give a family dignity, sustainable income, and hope for the future—along with the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ.

💌 Gifts That Touch More Than Stuff: We realized how meaningful it was to give these gifts in honor of teachers, tutors, and grandparents. What could be a better present than one that feeds a family, gives a child a future, or brings the gospel to the unreached? (We’re giving our kids’s tutors the gift of Honeybees paired with some gourmet honey!)

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Let Your Kids Lead: Involving kids in the process gave them ownership and opened their hearts. Their choices surprised me—and showed that the Holy Spirit can move powerfully in a child’s heart.

🙏 Prayer is Part of the Gift: We learned to pray over each gift, for the families who would receive them, and for the ministry partners around the world making it all possible.

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🙌 Your Turn: Join the Tradition

• Open the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Gift Catalog as a family.
• Invite your kids to pick a gift that stirs their heart.
• Give in a loved one’s honor—teachers, grandparents, coaches, friends—attach a prayer and a note.
• Make the giving personal: Watch the real-life videos in the catalog, share stories, and let generosity become part of your family story.

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💬 A Quote to Reflect On

“We are based upon the story of the good Samaritan. We are going to people in the ditches of life… We want people to be introduced to the God who sees. He sees them. He knows them. He created them. He loves them, and He died for them.”
~Kristy Graham

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🎧 Listen to this inspiring episode on Life Audio by clicking below

Or find CP/CW on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

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💖 A Final Word of Encouragement
Parents, your tree may be overflowing with abundance, but the greatest gift you can give is the example of a heart turned outward. When you invite your children into a story of generosity—when you make space to see, love, and serve the hurting of this world—you’re shaping them for eternity.

Even the smallest gift, when offered with love, can echo beyond your home and resound across the world.

You hold the key to unlocking the generous, compassionate hearts within your children. Give them this legacy, and watch as the seeds you plant change lives in ways you may never fully see this side of heaven… but God sees.

🔗 Browse the Samaritan’s Purse Gift Catalog & start your tradition, share the love, and let’s change the world—one family, one gift, one prayer at a time.

May generosity bless your home this Christmas season…

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Samaritan’s Purse Gift Catalog: www.samaritanspurse.org/parent
• On the Ground with Samaritan’s Purse Podcast
• Catherine’s Resources for Christian Parents

About the guest: Kristy Graham hosts On the Ground with Samaritan’s Purse, a show she launched in 2019 to highlight God’s faithfulness through the ministry’s work. Each week, she brings listeners close to the stories of staff and the people they serve—always pointing hearts to Christ. From missionary doctors in Kenya to military couples in Alaska to families receiving new homes after disasters, Kristy loves witnessing Samaritan’s Purse in action. At home, she and her husband, Edward, are raising their four children in the mountains of North Carolina.

Parents, what new tradition will you start this year to show your children the joy—and eternal impact—of generosity?