Nothing is quite as exciting as watching children at Christmas time. This morning I had the pleasure of witnessing the pure joy of innocence as my three year old really was able to anticipate Santa’s arrival and woke up so excited. He woke up and the first thing he said was “Did Santa come to our house? Did he bring presents? Can I go and see him?” He thought Santa was going to stay at our house after making his deliveries.

Our 20 month old is too little to really understand everything that’s going on, but he caught on to the present opening and new toys really fast and was so excited every time we put another present in front of him. The toys he was happiest with and carried around the longest were the simplest toys that Santa had brought– a little toy truck and a suction-cup ball that sticks to any hard surface. He walked around the house saying “Ball, car, ball, car!”

As a parent the thing I want most for Christmas is for my kids to be able to have those happy memories that I remember from my own childhood. Christmas has a different meaning for me now that I have kids- it’s no longer about what I want or what I get surprised with. It’s all about making Christmas magical for my children so I can see their happy faces and tell them how much I love them.

This year I also had the opportunity to help with a project to bring Christmas to homeless children in our community. I got to organize the making of 200 Christmas stockings in an organization of women in my neighborhood. It was a neat experience to watch a couple dozen women donate supplies, money, time and creativity to the project, all for children they would probably never meet.

This was just another reminder to me that Christmas is a time to think beyond ourselves and reach out to love the world. Whether this is a community project or within the walls of our own homes, I think every person can make a huge difference in the world. Merry Christmas!

Leave a comment to let me know how your Christmas was.

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