For the first time, Patricia Heaton’s children won’t be getting Christmas gifts from their mom (don’t worry, they are all grown up). And that’s because the Christian celebrity plans to focus on the real reason for the season, instead!
Patricia Heaton is a well-known name in Hollywood after hit TV shows like Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle. And now, she plays the lead role on the show Carol’s Second Act.
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Patricia Heaton is a great actress. But she’s also not afraid to speak out about things that matter to her, especially her faith!
And she’s decided this Christmas, things are going to be different for the Patricia Heaton children!
Patricia Heaton Children Won’t Get Gifts
Patricia Heaton and her husband, David Hunt, have 4 children, all sons — David, John, Joseph, and Daniel. And just like so many other families, gifts have been part of Christmas.
Of course, you can give gifts without losing sight of the real reason for the season.
"Ultimately, Christmas is never about the gifts," Patricia said. "It's about family being together and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ."
But now, with her kids grown, Patricia Heaton wants to get back to focusing on the things that really matter.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the commercialism of it all,” she said. "Actually, this is the first year where I’ve told everyone I’m not buying. My boys are all in their 20s, and so I said to my husband after last year that I realized that I get so cranky during the Christmas season. This whole gift thing and it’s just making me anxious and cranky. I just don’t want the holidays to be about that.”
“I think a lot of moms and parents get anxious about gifts, and things like that make the holidays stressful and I think we need to work toward making it just about our family being together,” she added.
Inspired By Her Father
For Patricia Heaton, her success comes second to her faith. And part of that is honoring God with her platform as a Christian celebrity.
For several years, Patricia has participated in humanitarian projects with World Vision, a global Christian humanitarian organization. In fact, she has a special collection of home goods, the Opportunity Collection, which she offers through World Vision. The sales from the collection either benefit families facing poverty or help fund disaster relief.
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And Patricia Heaton’s passion for giving back was inspired during childhood. Her father set the example for his children by generously donating to charity, no matter what.
“He was a guy who was very nervous about money and he had five kids. He was paying tuition for Catholic education and yet he made sure he still sent money to various charities,” Patricia said.
She added, “He never talked about it, but I saw him do that every month. So that made an impression on me.”
Patricia Heaton’s career in Hollywood has certainly borne plenty of fruit. And now, she’s making sure to set the same example for her children that her father set for her.
“Jesus said, ‘to whom much is given much is expected.' So I think it’s very important that we do that, but you want to be responsible in how you give and who you give to,” she said.
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We certainly need more people in Hollywood with this mindset!
h/t: Christian Headlines
Featured Image: Getty Images/Phillip Faraone/Stringer