The Christmas season is here, and my son finally gets Christmas. He knows there will be gifts, he asks about Santa every day, and he finally gets excited about the Christmas season. Last year when he was two years old, he got one gift (it was a big gift) from Santa and that was it. When everyone was planning their shopping lists last year and asking me what I was planning on getting him for Christmas, I said nothing.
The reactions I got were surprising. Some people were astonished and asked why not and did we not believe in Christmas or Santa. Other people just asked why not. One reason why was he has so many toys and books and doesn’t NEED anything else.
But the main reason was I was trying to teach my son the reasons for the season: kindness and giving back. We are a fortunate family, my children live in a safe and loving with home with more than they can ever want in a lifetime. They are surrounded by toys and books. I want to teach my children that they are so fortunate to have things in their lives like toys and that there are people all over the world that don’t get the opportunity to open new toys on Christmas.
I decided this year for Christmas to take all the money that we would have spent on our boys and to adopt a family for Christmas. Their needs are so simple: new socks, toiletries, and books. I reminded my son that this family won’t get to open any gifts on Christmas without our help and he actually understood in his own way. It wasn’t easy explaining to a 3.5 year old that some families don’t have jobs or enough money to plan Christmas for their families. I reminded him that there are kids all over the world who don’t have as many things as him, like toys, books, food, clothes, or a home. I could see him slowly processing what I was saying and he began to ask a lot of questions.
When he sees toys on TV or at the store, he used to beg and plead for the toy and talk about getting it for Christmas. But now he says that it’s so sad that there are kids who don’t get presents for Christmas. His 3.5 year old brain gets it; he somewhat understands that there are families that aren’t fortunate enough to have the money or resources to get their kids everything they want for Christmas.
I’m trying to teach my sons compassion, kindness, and generosity, and the Christmas season is the perfect time to do it. My kids will have things to open on Christmas morning, but instead of the latest toys or games, it will be pictures of our adventures as a family from this year and homemade gifts from family and friends. Christmas is magical time through a child’s eye and we should try to create memories that will last forever. Let us all remember what this season is truly about—creating memories with family and friends and spreading kindness and love to everyone we meet.
