My Son's Holiday Education.........Souldrifter

The other day my sister and I took out two teenaged kids shopping to buy some things for a needy family we know. I guess the holiday spirit had hit me when I realized how fortunate I am this year compared to years past and I just wanted to do something extra for someone less fortunate. This family has 6 kids and no mom. They struggle alot to make ends meet and I knew there was going to be no Santa for them this year unless I did something about it.

On the way to the mall my sister and I got to talking about what kind of things we should buy them. We discussed some practical gifts as well as the fun stuff, like socks and underware, hoodies and gloves and PJ's. (we had already given them coats for the winter) I'm almost ashamed to say this but our two very spoiled children in the back seat started making fun of us. The brats in the back seet could not see how any kid would appreciate getting socks and underware for Christmas.

I reminded the pampered prince and princess in the back seat that I and my sister had grown up in a large, poor family and getting socks and underware for Christmas was a treat to us. And it truly was. Anything we got as children thrilled us because we could not afford much of anything. I don't think my lecture helped much because they were pretty uninterested in helping me pick out anything for these kids. I was pretty ashamed of my own child's misconception about Christmas and decided I had to do something about that quick.

The next day I kept my son out of school. I figured he was in for a real educational experiance. I put on my elf hat and made him ware his Rudolph hat (minus the flashing red nose) and dispite his protest, I dragged him through a couple of grocery stores where we bought enough food to feed a small army and then I took him to this house where these 6 kids lived. It's a run down old house. No flashing lights decorate the porch or the windows like ours. No wreath on the door or 6' Santa in the yard. I had told the dad that I would be stopping by with a "few things". Well, it actually took two cars to get it all there but as we unloaded box after box of wrapped presents and bag after bag of food, the look on this dads face and the excitement in all the kids absolutely filled me with with the real Christmas spirit. This is what it was all about. I made sure my son took a good hard look at the barely decorated Christmas tree and notice the floor was not carpeted like most houses. I made sure he watched as the dad cryed with his appreciation and I especially loved it when a boy not much younger than him picked up one of the gifts and excietedly guessed that it was socks.

It was a long, quiet ride home with my son. He didn't have much to say but I knew he was thinking and feeling somewhat guilty. He asked me if I thought I had taken enough cookies for all of them. He worried that maybe the ham wasn't big enough. (it was) I think this Christmas is going to be different in my house. I really think someone is going to appreciate what Chirstmas really means this year. I'm hoping that when he grows up and thinks about fond Christmas memories, this is going to stand out as one of the biggest. I know it will for me.

I have to admit that I've never gone to this extreme for anyone before in my life. Not even at Christmas time and I'm not telling this story to toot my own horn. In fact, I didn't even tell the dad I did this with my own money but told a little white lie that it came from my company as a donation. I'm telling this story because I know from experiance that we tend to let things slide during this time of year. I am guilty of being short sighted when it comes to what really matters this time of year. We think about our families and what they want, what will make them happy Christmas morning. We hear stories about the less fortunate, feel bad and figure someone else will take care of them. Maybe some charity organization. Or maybe we just won't concern ourselves at all. And although I am lucky this year, there were years that I had nothing but dollar store stuff for my child on Chirstmas and still felt lucky for that. What ever kindness, no matter how big or small, you give to someone else this time of year makes a huge difference. It could even be as simple as a smile to someone who needs to see a friendly face.

This year my family's Christmas came from a family of 6 kids and their dad with a "thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts"

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