Christmas Spirit

The other day Henry was discussing what he plans to ask Santa for for Christmas. As he talked through his most wanted items a thought occurred to him.

"Mama, where does Santa get all the money to pay for the toys for all the kids in the world? Does he have, like, billions of dollars?"

I thought it was a fairly insightful question, really.  I mean, I could have said Santa makes the toys with magic so they are free, but really, everything costs money, right? And we talk with Henry about that fairly regularly.  We are so so lucky; we have great jobs and honestly, he never wants for anything, but we try to not have that be something he takes for granted. We talk about why Nick and I work, that our house, our heat, our food, our cars, they all cost money.  And lots and lots of families do not have enough money for those basic needs.  We are SO BLESSED, and it is important to us for him to recognize that, to know that on his very worst days, he still has so so much.

Along those same lines, we talk about the need to help others.  I have worried we don't talk about it enough actually, but we do discuss it.  That when you are as lucky as we are, that we have the chance to make a difference in people's lives.  Every month our family donates money to others in need, and as a way to let him feel part of that process we asked him to choose a charity for 1/3 of our family donations to help, so now the Humane Society gets part of our charitable giving each month.  Henry likes that he is helping the local puppies and kitties, and I like that he is at least aware that giving is a good thing. 

Anyway, back to the story at hand!

So Henry asks how Santa pays for the toys.  And I reply, "Well, he has the elves to help him, but I actually thinks lots of people all over the world give money to help him pay for the toys for all the boys and girls."

He thought about it for awhile, then went to get his wallet. He had been saving some money from the tooth fairy. He pulled out ten dollars and said, "In my letter to Santa can I send him this money? It can help him buy presents for other kids."

Oh, sweet Henry.   I have no idea how we got so lucky. You and your loving heart make me so very proud to be your mama.

I told him it was a wonderful idea, and that I was sure Santa would appreciate the help.  He set the money right beside where he would write the letter so he wouldn't forget.

Today I made a donation to Toys for Toys in Henry's name.

There have been a lot of favorite moments when it comes to being Henry's mom, but this one, this little glimpse into the compassion that lives inside of his heart... man, it is close to the top of the list.

***please keep in mind this Sunday, December 13th, at 7pm is the world wide candle lighting ceremony in memory of loved ones lost. It will also be the third annual #CandlesforMissy here on Bio Girl. If you would like to share a picture of your candle for the post please send it to me at biogirl79@gmail.com or tag your post on any social media site with #CandlesforMissy and I will find it and include it here.