A couple of months ago my mom and I packed up all the things my play room that I wasn’t using anymore, and even a bunch of stuff that had never been taken out of plastic wrappings, things I had received for birthday presents but never opened. We also had a ton of unused kid stuff down in the basement and we packed that as well. After we were done, my mother looked at all the boxes piled high as could be and said, “Sabrina, this is embarrassing … someone would think that 5 kids lived here. How can one kid have so much stuff when others have so little or nothing at all.” And she was right. My mom called someone she knew who works with underprivileged kids and he came to take everything: books and games, puzzles and dolls, carriages and electronic stuff, coloring books and videos, stuffed animals and paint sets, and on and on an on. Even I was amazed how much one kid could accumulate.
I’m still a kid, and I do like getting presents, but I also now really understand the difference between ‘getting’ and ‘giving’. Usually during Christmas and Hanukkah, kids greet each other with, “What did you get?” This year, I think we kids should ask each other “What did you give?”
For my part, I thought, “What could I give my parents this Hanukkah that would make them happy?” Here’s my list:
1. I’m going to clean my room every day for the 8 days of Hanukkah without my mom having to tell me to do it.
2. I’m going to sort my own laundry to save my mom the trouble of doing it.
3. I’m going to sit with my dad and watch one game of hockey on TV. He’d LOVE that.
4. I’m going to practice my piano every day without having to be told.
5. I’m going to set the dinner table and clear the dishes.
6. I’m going to box up all of my Webkins and make sure they get a good home with someone else.
7. I’m going to go through my closet and pull all the clothes that I don’t wear and donate them.
8. I’m going to willingly let my mom take me for a haircut; it really is too long.
Instead of giving me Hanukkah presents, my mom will give a donation to an organization that provides all their services free to people with cancer. My dad is in the meat business so he’ll give a bunch of turkeys to some families who could use them. They’re both going to do this in my name, so that makes me feel good.
So whether it’s your parents or friends or neighbors on your Hanukkah or Christmas lists, think of something you can do for them, or something you can give them that they really need. Giving is good. It’s so much better than what you get.
Bye for now.
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