Jon & Susan Zall (board member):  Posted November 14, 2008

Choosing to participate in Advent Conspiracy often begins with the quiet act of listening - which is almost revolutionary given the energetic rush before Christmas.  Times of silence and solitude usually don’t happen during this season unless we intentionally choose for them to happen.

For Jon and Susan Zall, consciously listening has led them through a gradual transformation in the way they celebrate Christmas.  Several years ago they began to reconsider the number of presents they exchanged as a family, yet they recognized that change is a process rather than a one-time event.  Their first step, in 2006, was to give a llama to a family overseas in addition to their other traditions.

Last Christmas they built on this beginning by convincing their family to exchange homemade gifts ­ with the exception of the Zall’s five-year-old grandson, who “needed legos and dinosaurs”.  One family member made picture frames decorated with old keys and coins, other family members made homemade baking mixes and presented them along with aprons and chefs’ hats.

For their out-of-town family, the Zalls purchased gifts through World Vision chickens, goats, wells for clean water - to give in the name of each family.

Ultimately, Advent Conspiracy is an opportunity to listen, and to consider whether or not our established habits still express our deepest joy in the season.  Change, when it comes, can be large or small.  As large as a llama or as small as a lego, apparently.

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