Anagram for Christmas by Amy Sparkman

Categories: Jesus' Birth

Gifts and Christmas seem to go hand-in-hand. Faces glow as wish lists are swapped among friends. For the adults, it can be a challenge to find ways to lift those ever-lengthening lists out of the "I hope I get…" mentality to a more giving spirit. One activity that has helped our family do this is writing anagrams and then free-flowing poems.

What you need is paper, writing implements, and a willing heart! What you'll get is a new perspective—a new way to think about what you have to give and a few special things to add to your "list."

Along the left-hand margin of a clean sheet of paper (lined or unlined), write in capital letters, with space between each letter, the following words:

G

I

F

T

G

I

V

I

N

G

Using each letter as the first letter of a word, think of individual words
or phrases that express what "gift-giving" means to you.  As you write down
your ideas, you might find a way to create a pattern of similar phrases or
words ending with the same suffix, or a rhyming pattern.  This will take a
bit of time and might need to be finished for SS homework or the next dinner
together.  A group goal might be made at the outset:  to think about the
true meaning of "gifts" and "giving" rather than their commercialized
meanings. 

When everyone has written an individual anagram, have a sharing time that's free from criticism and open to listening to what each one is saying about this timeless activity: gift-giving.

Often, the anagram leads to another poetic form as the writer lifts a line or more from the anagram -- connecting or expanding or rhyming the ideas in a way that paints a richer picture than the limits of the anagram will allow. Have fun with this activity -- it will be a gift to each writer!

Younger children might enjoy doing this activity as a group, with each child working on one letter in the word.

Here is an example using the word "GRATEFUL:"

Grab each moment

Rise and shine

Activate goodness

Touch a heart

Exude joy

Follow willingly

Utter words of love

Linger in the essence of being GRATEFUL.