I’m generally a happy person, but it makes me sad that there are people in this world who don’t enjoy the Christmas holiday. They want the days of Christmas to go by fast and be gone.

That is a sad situation.

I wonder if they’re just focusing on the wrong end of the holiday. I mean if you’re not thinking about baby Jesus, then yeah, I guess you might not enjoy the holiday. If you can’t imagine some magic around Saint Nicholas, then you might not have fun. If you can’t see the light in a child’s eyes as they imagine all the candy and toys, then you might be focused on the wrong things.

One of the best parts for me is watching my son share his toys and candy. I don’t believe I taught him this. He seems to have learned it on his own. He just takes whatever he has and gives it away. I don’t ask him to do it. I don’t prompt him. He looks at another child and says, “Do you want this?” Then he hands over whatever it is—a plastic army man, a bag of Skittles, a Lego mini-figure, or even a Hot Wheels motorcycle.

He has the same love of objects as anyone else. He has a Christmas list: a list of fun he wants wrapped up under the tree. But he gives so freely, I can’t see any selfishness in him. He doesn’t even hesitate. He loves to share.

One thing he does ask in return, to those he gives his gifts to, is that they play with him. After he gives them something, he asks, “Do you want to play with me?” That seems like a fair exchange to me. A gift of something you desire for a little bit of your time? Of course, I’m putting that in adult terms. You get the idea though. He just wants a friend. He wants a companion for play time.

And the weird thing is that sometimes the children he gives things to don’t accept his request. They take the toy and go play by themselves. It’s strange to watch that interaction. Even though it’s rare, it does happen. Sometimes I want to go talk to the kid who denies the chance to play, so I can reason with them.

“Didn’t he give you that toy? Don’t you think you owe it to him, to play with him? Don’t you feel guilty eating those Skittles?”

I wonder though, if I’m just indulging in adult interference, or actually helping the situation. I’m sure there are times when it’s right to interfere, and times when children have to learn on their own. Maybe they have to stew in their feeling of guilt long enough to recognize it. Like the person at the beginning of this topic, who doesn’t enjoy Christmas, who may or may not need my prompting to get over their seasonal depression, will they get my prompting anyway? How do you know when to share the joy you have inside? You don’t. So just do it anyway. Share it freely. Share it without hesitation. And who knows? Someone might be watching you. They might say, “Look at how selfless that one is. Now that’s Christmas spirit.”