Season of Giving

Or is it more aptly named the "season of constantly getting hounded by things your kids want, and the focus on getting more than giving"?  And I will be more than ashamed to admit, that I know where my kids get it from.   My parents were talking the other day, and my mom reminded me that for quite a while before every Christmas, I browsed all the toy catalogs, commercials and newspaper inserts and made an equally large Christmas wish list that I am pretty sure I handed to all that I met.  I know Santa got his fair share of my "wish list" every year.
And I am also pretty ashamed to admit, that even still, I have no difficulty making a list of things I want.  But I get so tired when with EVERY commercial they see, and EVERY store we go into it's "I want this, I want that" and it drives me insane.  I finally banned that kind of talk.  They are not allowed to ask for anything else.  I want to instill in my guys the desire to be generous, to give to others, and it just seems that it isn't getting through.  Sometimes it annoys me to no end that they just seem (at times, I'm not saying all the time) to just be so selfish and stingy.  And then, I remember.  That's because their mom is.  Not that I do it intentionally.  But when things like Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day rolls around I can be counted on for saying "oh, this would be a great gift" or other, apparently not so subtle hints.  I say not so subtle because it's obvious now that they get it.  ALWAYS ASK FOR STUFF.  They are picking up the notion that it really is an "all about me" mentality.  And that is SO my fault.  And that sickens me.  {Now, this doesn't mean asking for what you want isn't terrible.  I just need to figure out where to draw the line!  Know what I mean?}
So, now, I'm faced with how do I teach my little men to be generous and giving?!  Better yet, how do I model that, because I am apparently not pulling it off so well.  So, this is what I have seen that I need to work on with my kids!  And hopefully, this time next year, I won't be as concerned about it because it will have gotten better!