Photo: Lisa Henderson / Over the Big Moon
Christmas does not take place in the Henderson family this year
Christmas to fail? That sounds very hard. But the American mother Lisa Henderson has a good reason for that.
Lisa Henderson and her husband would certainly not want to trade their three sons Caleb (11), Davis (8) and Beckham (5) for anything in the world. Nevertheless, the couple from Utah (USA) openly admit that they have their hands full with their little racers. There is a regular dispute over what is allowed and what is not.
Lately, Lisa and her husband have become increasingly aware that their sons are neither grateful for what they have and what they do for them, nor are they respectful of others. This led the Henderson couple to take a drastic step: this year, Christmas will be canceled for their three sons .
On her blog Over the Big Moon, Lisa Henderson writes about this decision: "We warned her either to change her behavior or to have consequences, we worked with her for several months and it's hard to believe, but hardly anything has changed."
The decision of the couple may sound very harsh, but their children will not have to miss all the Christmas traditions. Christmas is not complete. There will be Christmas decorations and also the birth of Jesus wants to celebrate the family together. However, there will be no gifts .
The money that Lisa and her husband actually spent on the gifts of their three sons will be donated to nonprofit organizations this year, which will certainly look forward to additional support, especially at Christmas time. Lisa wants to show her sons how nice it is to give something to others instead of just wanting more for themselves. The gifts Caleb, Davis and Beckham receive from their grandparents and other family members will, she hopes, be more appreciated by her mother.
For their Christmas dinner, the family has also invited several living neighbors this year, so that they do not have to spend Christmas Eve alone.
Lisa Henderson wants her kids to "remember Christmas for the right reasons". Although the mother's approach sounds perfectly reasonable and understandable, many people have been negative about the Henderson's decision. But many also stand behind the woman who fails the usual Christmas with gifts this year. For them, the courageous decision to do something different is very inspiring.
