When Caleb was around 2 years old we decided to start buying Christmas presents for children who were less fortunate than him. Each year we pick names off of the Angel Tree and buy gifts for children that might not otherwise receive anything for Christmas. We try to find children close in age to our own kids so that they will learn from shopping for someone else who is about their age. Many times the gifts on the list are the same gifts my own children want to receive.
I enjoy taking the kids to the store to buy the presents. It makes me smile to see my child carefully choose the gifts for a child that they only know by a name and age on a card. I enjoy wrapping the presents with the kids and putting them under the tree until they can be delivered. Usually these gifts are the first gifts to be purchased during the holiday season.
I hope that Caleb and Madilyn are both learning that it is a blessing and a joy to give to others. I also hope that in the future they will practice this same tradition with their children.
What do you want your children to learn during the Christmas Season?