Christmas equals gift giving in so many ways. We buy gifts for our kids, our friends, our kids teachers, our parents. No matter how many gifts you give, or whether they come from Santa or not, we are still giving gifts over the holiday's to those we love.

Our kids get four gifts from us each year. Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. I like this method of keeping it simple and not 100% about all the new toys you want.

Each year my mom has been giving us adult kids a gift that gives back. She hands each of us an envelope and in it she has either bought a goat in our name, meals for a family in our name, or something else totally awesome in our name.

Every time we open these gifts I realize what an honor it is that my mom chooses to gift her kids these gifts. She's taking the money she would have spent on buying us each a candle for our house, or a new blanket, or shirt from The Gap, and instead she's helping a family in need.

Samaritan's Purse makes giving gifts that give back super easy. The Samaritan’s Purse gift catalog features 42 gifts that you can purchase to help people in need and share the Gospel. That is enough options to give your kids plenty of ways to give back.

Gifts include things like purchasing baby chicks for $14 so that an impoverished family has an ongoing source of nutrition and supplemental income or spending $25 to provide warm clothes and shoes to families fleeing to safety in northern Iraq.

Gifts range from $7 to $35,000, but you can always share the cost by donating a portion of the amount to a project you are passionate about.

This year I plan on buying all of my kids chickens for their stockings. Only not real chickens, and not really for them. I'm going to buy chickens in their name, that will be given to a family.

I'm hopeful that my children will enjoy knowing that a family in need was helped through our family this year.

I know other families that sit down with their kids and let them pick out gifts to give.  The parents will give each kid a certain amount of money to spend, and then they will look through catalog, and then each kid picks where they want the money to go. What a great way to help your kids see the needs around them, and how we can help with just a mere $20.

If you are looking for a great way to give back with your family, this is a great way to do that, or maybe you want to fill your kids stockings with chickens as well!