With two young kids who still believe in Santa, I work hard to ensure the magic of Christmas shines big and bright in our home.
And while Christmas is about a lot of things — spending time with loved ones, for example — let’s be honest, for young kids more often than not it’s about what is under the tree on Christmas morning … and cookies. Lots and lots of cookies!
Do we tend to overdo it in our home? Likely. Maybe it’s because growing up we didn’t have a ton of money, and Christmas was when my brother and I felt like the luckiest kids alive because maybe we’d finally get that toy we’d been eyeing in the Eaton’s catalogue or had seen at a friend’s house.
As an alleged fully grown adult, my husband and I are in a better position than my own parents were when I was growing up, and because of that, it’s quite possible that our girls tend to get spoiled from time to time.
This year, they are at an age where they are able to better understand that money doesn’t just magically appear, and I figured what better time to teach them the true spirit of the holidays: the spirit of giving back to others.
So, we put them to work, helping Grampa finish off the beautiful breadboards he makes in his workshop. They donned some old camp T-shirts, gloves and were put to work oiling and finishing the boards to prepare them for sale at a local Christmas market. Then, Thing 1 accompanied Gramma at the market for two days to help sell them and to explain to anyone who would listen — and likely even a few who didn’t — that they were raising money for the County of Simcoe Paramedic Toy Drive
We chose the local fundraiser as we knew that 100 per cent of the items collected actually went to families in Simcoe County, something I believe is extremely important. Ultimately, they raised $270!
The plan, however, didn’t stop there. Another step in the process of learning the value of money — and giving back to their community — was taking those funds and shopping for toys that — gasp! — weren’t for them! I am proud to say that they both did amazingly well staying on task.
Thing 1 and I perused the aisles looking for sales in order to get the most bang for our bucks, while Thing 2 kept note of what they’d selected and the price in order to stay within our budget.
After about an hour, our cart was full and they excitedly put everything on the counter to be checked out. To say they were a little bit surprised with the fact that the cost of toys adds up quickly would be an understatement, so I think they also learned a lesson as to why Daddy and I say “no” so often.
The following evening, we dropped the bags of toys over to the museum to two lovely paramedics who were braving the cold weather collecting donations. I won’t lie, I had a total “proud mama moment” seeing how excited they were to hand over the toys and tell the ladies about what they’d done and why.
Sure, they are still excited about what LEGO set Nana might get them, or what Santa might leave under the tree next weekend — heck they are still kids after all — but I know that they have begun to understand that what is most important at any time of year is that acts of kindness, whether big or small, can go a long way in helping others.
Nikki Cole is a staff reporter at BarrieToday and mother of two young girls.
