Gather Little by Little

We are now the 24^th of December and my children are getting pretty excited! They just can’t wait to get their gifts from Santa”¦ and I just can’t wait to eat the delicious homemade cookies they will leave for Santa before going to sleep tonight ;-)

But seriously folks, I think Christmas is more than a fancy and overly marketed Holiday abused by gifts and excesses of all kinds. Christmas is a special time of the year where you have the unique opportunity to connect with all the people you love. It is time to forget about your old disputes and call those people you call “friend”, “father”, “sister”, etc.

During this time of the year, I always take a moment to think about the people I love who left us too early. I wish they were still here with us to celebrate and sing Christmas carols. And then, I look into the sparkling eyes of my children and I appreciate these magical moments. Those filled with love, hope and happiness. To see the world through the eyes of a child, especially at Christmas, is a magical gift.

I did my “extra” groceries

We always buy more food (and more wine!) during the Holidays. So before Christmas, I always go for an “extra” trip for groceries. But this one is not for me. This one is for those in need. Every year, we buy for about a week’s worth of food and we give it to our community center. We make sure to include good and healthy food but also a few cookies. Hey, it’s Christmas for everyone, everyone should be able to eat something sweet ;-)

My children participate too

My children are spoiled with gifts. They were fortunate enough to live in a house where they will never want for anything. But there is more than just receiving toys. Each year, they go into their play room and pick 1 or 2 toys each that they like and we wrap them up and give them to other children who don’t have the good fortune to receive so many gifts.

My older son (he is 4 years old) was quite happy to do it this year. He has started to understand that not everybody has this chance at Christmas and he really wanted to make another child happy during this time of the year.

Now we are ready to celebrate!

Now that we have given to charity, to our community center and to our church, we are now ready to celebrate. Over the year, I have realized that giving is the most amazing gift you can offer yourself. Don’t hesitate to give to those in need and everyone will feel much better during Christmastime!

I wish you a Merry Christmas and have fun with people you love!

Author: Mike.

Image source: scottfeldstein