It's pretty easy over the holidays to get wrapped up (pun intended) in the materialistic "I want, I want, I wants."
And it's especially easy for kids; we all remember what Christmas was like when we were young and how overcome with excitement we'd get upon waking up Christmas morning and bolting down the stairs to the living room to see what Santa had brought.
Parents, I can't urge this enough, please take the time this holiday season to explain to your children the importance of appreciating their surroundings.
If your child has anything to open on Christmas morning, he/she is in the minority, as approximately one billion children worldwide are, at this very moment as you're reading this, living in poverty.
I recently came across an article in the L.A. Times about how the U.S. postal service has noticed an increase in letters to Santa asking for food instead of presents.
It's heartbreaking. Makes me feel sick. Yes, the United States has the second worst rate of poverty in the developed world, but there are children suffering the same fate in Canada, or at least living in families where just making ends meet is hard to do.
I've also noticed it seems kids nowadays, thanks to the technology generation we're in, are asking for more luxurious gifts; more expensive ones to be exact.
In our letters to Santa we received for publication, many kids were asking for pricey gadgets like iPads, cell phones, computers and the like.
The average cost of an iPad ranges from $300 and up. I'm 26 and I don't have an iPad so I doubt a second grader will need one.
When I was little, I asked for Barbies, which at that time retailed for about $25, maybe over for a more elaborate Barbie (she can get pretty posh in her outfits).
Of course, I'm not knocking kids. When you're young and you see something that grasps your attention, you instantly want it and price isn't an issue (hey, that's for the parents to worry about!).
I totally get it and I'm well-aware we're in the generation where kids are being led to believe that playing outside with simpler things isn't nearly as fun as fiddling with gadgets and playing games on an iPad or laptop.
I'm sure my parents rolled their eyes when I asked for a Sega Genesis for Christmas in the early '90s; I guess back then, that'd be the rough equivalent of iPads and cell phones for kids now.
Here's the thing though: there are some parents who actually are going to cave to their child's Christmas demands and buy them that iPad or cell phone.
So, if you're that parent, you have your reasons for doing this and I don't necessarily agree with it, but I will say this: before you or Santa brings that shiny new silver iPad to little Johnny this Christmas and wrap it delicately under the tree, let him know that there are kids this very holiday season who will not be getting anything at all; who have never received anything at all. They don't know the joy of ripping into their presents and uncovering a new video game console or computer or expensive toys. They may very well know the confusion and pain of getting up Christmas morning and finding nothing under their tree.
I'm not saying to have this discussion as your kids are picking through their stockings, because come on, Christmas should still be enjoyable for your own kids and they shouldn't feel wracked with guilt.
But they should feel appreciative and maybe even inspired to do something for those around them this Christmas season, whether it's helping out at the Christmas dinner at St. Augustine's parish here in Humboldt or making donations of food items to the food bank.
The best kids are the ones who are brought up with humility and also the ones who know that the so-called joy of Christmas is subjective and, unfortunately, is not the same for everyone.
We, however, can all help change that, one child at a time.
CM
