The boys worked very hard together making this gingerbread house, as well as helping to decorate the Christmas tree. They were very involved in Christmas this season!
This December, our little elf Shawnee came to visit us again. She came to us for the first time last Christmas and each morning she hid from the boys and did some funny things. This year however, Santa's little elf decided to challenge the boys and start a new tradition…. the tradition of giving. She must have figured our boys were finally old enough and ready to learn the true meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate it. Shawnee taught them all about St. Nicholas and how he spreads the holiday cheer by helping others and giving to others. The spirit of St. Nicholas still exists today through all of our Christmas activities and of course all those different Santa Clauses Taji is quick to point out. He knows they are really helpers :-) With the help of mommy, every morning Shawnee left a little note for the boys praising them on working hard at school and being caring to one another…. but she also challenged them to extend their compassion and help others.
The boys really loved this, and we would have continuous conversations about how other children don't have as much as they do and different ways we can help those around us, including animals! We picked out and bought toys for needy children, and the boys delivered them to Toys for Tots:
They picked out their own toys they no longer played with or have outgrown, we cleaned them, and donated them to the new preschool Jax was going to attend at the beginning of the new year. It was important for them to get used to parting with their own things and "sharing" them with other children, especially if they want Jezisek, Santa, mommy and daddy to bring them new toys every Christmas!
We visited the local humane society on a weekly basis to visit with the animals, and deliver them much needed bags of cat food and scratchers. The boys loved visiting with the cats, kittens, and even puppies. The Chautauqua Humane Society was so thankful to them that they even wrote a post about them on Facebook!
Shawnee also encouraged the boys to make Thank You cards for our hard-working UPS and FedEx delivery men and women, and our mail man. The boys colored pictures and put stickers on them, and mommy helped them write thank you notes on them. We also baked lots of christmas cookies, and delivered them to our neighbors and friends. Taji gave a special christmas treat to his teacher and all the school assistants, including the bus drivers! They learned how to help not only those in need in our community, but thank the community helpers for everything they do for us! Shawnee also reminded the boys how important it is to help mommy and daddy around the house all year long.
I'm so proud of them, they truly learned and experienced first hand what "Gratitude not Attitude" means. Christmas was the introduction to "giving" and we will maximize the "giving" every Christmas, and continue practicing it throughout the year by getting more involved with community outreach as they get older. Community service is an important thing to teach kids…. the younger the better!
