Stories of Kindness from Around the World

In December 2012, my parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told them I would get back to them once I thought of something. At that point, I had the full intention of asking for something, but for the first time, I realized how lucky I was to have been born in such a fortunate family. There was nothing I could ask for because there was nothing more I needed, materialistically nor emotionally. I was truly satisfied.

This made me think about all the children who did not have families, homes, or food, much less gifts, for Christmas.  With these thoughts in my mind, I told my parents in January that instead of getting me an expensive gift for the holidays, I'd love to use the money to get a bunch of small gifts for all the children that hadn't gotten anything for Christmas.

At first, they were shocked. Then they realized I was serious, and agreed to spend $500 on gifts for young kids of the families living at the homeless shelter.   It was such an incredible experience. I remember going to the homeless shelter to hand out the toys to as many kids as we could give, asking them all to share. One of the children looked at me with his innocent eyes. I could see the astonishment in them. It was obvious he had never gotten a Christmas gift before, so when he asked me where I got the gifts from, I told him what I knew he wanted me to say: that I was helping Santa.

I explained that Santa was sorry he was so late, but that this gift had been made especially for him! The boy took the gift slowly, smiled the cutest smile I had ever seen and ran to him mother.
The last thing I heard as I moved on to give a gift to the next hopeful child was the boy's voice: "Mommy, Santa really does exist! And he didn't forget about us this year!"