It’s getting to be that time of year again; the time of the Christmas crunch. Six weeks to go and the countdown begins to the big day.

We are unintentionally, at times, consumed with our daily 24/7 lives, lived at warp speed, attached to devices that keep us plugged in continuously.

And time, that most prized of possessions, seems more elusive than ever, when we look at the perhaps smaller amounts of it spent with the ones we love, because of job demands, and a whole host of other attention getter things.

What do we want our children to “Believe” and “Remember” this Christmas season?

I hope we want to reinforce the belief in the goodness that surrounds them, even in the face of evils that have been present, in one form or another, always.

I hope we encourage them to believe in the gift of self; that Christmas is not merely about “getting”, but “giving”.

For most of us, if we are honest, have many “luxuries,” that are now looked on as “necessities,” in a world that is continually upgrading to the next new thing; sometimes referred to as the “latest model”.

And those “luxuries” are acquired with the use of that most precious commodity in anyone’s life – time. It does come in finite amounts in any life.

I hope we ask them to believe that they can “be in the world what they want to see in the world.” For if we want kindness, justice, and peace to flourish in the world, it will have to be modeled in the everyday – to one another – at home, at school, in the everyday relationships we enjoy with those nice ones we encounter, but also and with those “prickly personality people” that come our way as well. Kids are like sponges. They absorb what they hear and see and do the same.

Commercial here: If reading is important to you and they see you doing it, they’ll figure its important too, for the most part.

Pile their bed stands high with selections of books this time of year. They’ll pick and poke and find what piques their interest.

Now, we come to the “Remembering” part. What do we want our kids to remember about this Christmas?

Do we want them to remember the “stuff”? I would be less than candid or even near the realm of reality, if I said “no”.

For presents are an essential part of the giving spirit of Christmas. But, perhaps in some way, they are merely a symbol of what we hope to give family and friends this Christmas.

And just maybe, in some corner of our minds, we truly believe that we are “wrapping up a part of ourselves,” in those packages selected with such care and wrapped with ribbons.

And yes, our young ones will surely squeal with delight when the tissue is torn from what they longed for all year.

But that too passes.

What they will remember over time from Christmas 2015, and trust me on this, is the time you spent with them.

It could be cookie baking you shared of a time honored family recipe, with the kitchen covered wall-to-wall in flour, a quiet walk in the snow, a sled hurtling down a hill with you and a child aboard, or a lap that holds them, plus a book, for a quiet read.

All these are moments they will return to you, years later, as they look at you and say, “Remember when….

And they are the gifts that last a lifetime!