Thank You to our 2023 Family Christmas Plan Sponsors:
| First National Bank |
| Schwab |
|
The Smith Family, in honor of Jessie Egan Smith |
Join our sponsors and Emerging Leaders Council in supporting the 2023 Family Christmas Plan.
Family Christmas Plan
Christmas is one of the biggest events on our annual calendar, and like any big event, things always seem to go better when you are able to do advance planning. The Family Christmas Plan was created to help clients plan ahead so that their family can reduce the stress of the holidays and get the most enjoyment out of Christmas.
It is our hope that by having a less stressful Christmas, clients can more fully experience one of the most wonderful things that appears each year during the Holiday Season ... that thing we call the “Christmas Spirit.” That spirit is not something that you can see or touch, but it is something that everyone can feel, and a holiday filled with greater joy, will allow you to spread that very special Christmas Spirit throughout your family, friends, and neighbors.
Christmas is a special time and we are very pleased to help parents and children in the Pittsburgh region have the most enjoyable Holiday Season possible by planning ahead, creating family traditions and spreading Christmas Spirit to those around us.
The Goal
The Family Christmas Plan is designed to make Christmas special—and affordable!—for clients and their families.
- Discover children’s Christmas wishes
- Design a Christmas budget that will show you how to continue to paying bills, and use available resources to plan ahead for Christmas without the worry of the financial burden Christmas can be
- Provide an opportunity for children to experience the joy of giving
- Create memorable family traditions
- Celebrate faith
- Access financial incentives offered through the program to earn gift cards
- Have your children participate in a special Christmas Extravaganza!
- Catholic Charities’ Family Christmas Plan program will help gather information and create a plan for a very special Christmas that won’t leave families in debt and will give them valuable budgeting and planning tools.
- Together we will partner with clients to develop a plan of specific action steps that will utilize current resources, as well as offer opportunities to earn additional resources through incentives. This level of planning will make it possible for clients to develop their own unique ideas and decide on those gifts they wish to purchase as part of their family.
The Steps
- Step 1: Children will write “Letters to Santa” to help parents uncover their Christmas wishes.
- Step 2: Parents will create a Christmas Plan listing all the details that makes their family Christmas special, including their ideas about:
- What traditions the family celebrates, including new ones they might like to try;
- What special meals and dishes they will serve;
- What decorations they have and new ones they might want;
- What gatherings they would like to attend with family and friends, and who they want to invite to their gatherings;
- Whether they will attend worship services, and which ones;
- What gifts they will give; and
- How they will share the joy of giving with their family through the Gifts of Service opportunity.
- By having their children participate in Gifts of Service (helping out around the house and in the community) they share the joy of giving with them.
- Step 3: Together we will explore ideas to create a Christmas Budget that makes the most of clients' money and allows them to cover their normal monthly obligations.
- Participation and planning will allow clients to earn additional incentives to help your resources go further:
- Transportation and grocery gift cards;
- A Gift Card to a Christmas tree for home and or decorations;
- Gift Card incentives for purchasing gifts and other items needed for the holiday; and
- Step 4: Families will develop a Christmas Planning Timeline to help them stay on task and reach their determined goals.
- Christmas Extravaganza for families, organized through Catholic Charities.