The Essence of Christmas
With the traffic, the parties, the shopping, it’s become increasingly difficult for me to remember the essence of Christmas– that it is a time to celebrate our blessings. It’s about giving not receiving, appreciating what we have, who we have and not acquiring what we want. It’s a time of reflection about the year that passed, a time to count blessings and value the present. Life as we know it– with all its imperfections– is a gift.
This is a guest post by ChildsPlay Manila. If you would like to guest post on the Schoolkid.Ph blog, contact us for guidelines.
Life with a toddler can become all about Santa Claus and collecting presents under the tree. At her age, she’s learning possession and ownership. She can barely tolerate sharing Mommy with Daddy. We need to steal hugs when she’s not looking as it is. We’ve compromised by creating a Little Libra Sandwich– Little Libra as the cheezy filling with a slice of mommy and daddy on either side. Her attachment to things that she recognizes as hers is uncanny. She embraces what she receives and continues to remember what she has, as if she has a database inventory of her things.
We received a bag of second hand clothes from a family friend who has twin daughters. How lucky for us to get her beautiful hand me downs plus a spare! Little Libra delighted in these gifts, oblivious to the fact they weren’t new. She refused to let them be washed, preferring to keep them close– even sleeping with her favorite one, a hot pink swimsuit. My daughter, the only grandchild, who has so much, loves receiving things– apparently anything that she can claim as her own. I’m certain that the feeling is twenty fold for an orphan especially during the holidays.
So this week, as we distribute our gifts to friends, we’ll also make a stop at an orphanage and give Little Libra’s outgrown things. I know it will be difficult to convince her to give away her stuff but I think the battle is worth it. If she realizes from a young age, that she is capable of the gift of giving and making others happy– that she can be a Santa Claus too– she’ll hopefully grow up with the essence of Christmas ingrained in her.
Please let us know about any worthy orphanages in the Taguig and Makati area and we’ll be sure to make a stop. We want to share the gift of giving to as many kids as we can.
Merry Christmas!
About our guest blogger:
ChildsPlayManila chronicles the joys of mothering her 2 year old toddler, Little Libra. She is the apple of her family’s eye… and she knows it. Read more of articles from ChildsPlay Manila at http://childsplaymanila.com
Thumbnail Photo credit: Chris Sharp