The joy of giving is alive and well!

In this day of mass consumerism parents often worry they are raising children who will be spoiled.We worry that the true meaning of Christmas will be lost in all the plastic junk under our trees. As Americans we are all drowning in stuff and yet we spend the weeks leading up to Christmas purchasing more and more. While you may feel your child is focused on "I want this and this and . . . ", let me assure you that the joy of giving is alive and well in our school. 

This week our sweet ones have lovingly "shopped" through catalogs and holiday ads. As they've browsed through the pictures I've heard "my mom would love this, pink is her favorite color!"  or "my dad says he really needs a new "puter" cuz his won't work." Children know if their older brother loves Star Wars or their sister likes ballet. Egocentric by nature, preschool children are just beginning to understand that other people have interests and feelings. 

Tuesday in our three-year-old class I was presented with a gift. A smiling angel stood before me and handed over a box from our drama center that she had wrapped with a doll blanket. I feigned surprise as I slowly unwrapped her treasure and found plastic animals from our block corner tucked inside the box. As I played along with exclamations of "how did you know I loved giraffes?" the smile on her face grew wider. Within minutes, I was bombarded by similar gifts from all the others in the class.

Just playing? Perhaps. But children learn great lessons through play and the joy on their faces was quite real. I witnessed this same joy as we completed special craft projects this week. As little hands wrapped treasurers in tissue paper and slid them into their own beautifully designed gift bags we discussed the fun of giving and the excitement of surprises.  I'm sure most of these surprises were unveiled before they left the parking lot that day.  I hope their enthusiasm for giving lasts much longer.

We watched many children lovingly bring gifts to their teachers this week as well.  Some were very  generous, some quite simple. Each child was thrilled at the act of giving. I can speak for the staff when I say our favorite gifts are those made by children.  We've received a beautiful assortment of hand-drawn pictures and cards.  I witnessed one sweet child help her teacher unwrap a juicy orange she had brought as a gift.  This little girl went on about how much she loves oranges and especially the way they make the whole room smell.  In her young mind this wrapped orange was the perfect Christmas gift for her teacher--and it was!

In the midst of the hectic holidays may you experience the true joy of your children. May you soak up the delight of the little people who live under your roof. May you experience many bits of magic in the next few weeks. And may you, as grown adults with all the responsibility and worry that entails, have the ability to see Christmas through the eyes of your children.

Cheryl Hoover has been the Director of Northampton Christian Preschool since 1995.