Most of us can probably remember the excitement of being a child on Christmas morning, especially those who still see it each year on the faces of their own children and young relatives.
After days — or possibly weeks — of anticipation, they'll finally find out the answer to the question of, "What did Santa bring me for Christmas?"
Children are good at receiving, but what about giving? How can parents teach their children the lessons of generosity and self-sacrifice without dampening the holiday spirit?
Jennifer Russell, area child and family development agent for the Leflore County Extension Service, explained that, first and foremost, children can learn about giving by observing their parents' behavior.
"Remember, children learn what they are taught," Russell said. "Transfer your values to the next generation. Actively engage them in thinking about what it means to be concerned about the common good."
For many local parents, this translates into reaching out to those less fortunate during the holiday season.
"In today's world, everybody's so worried about 'Me, Me, Me,' I try to teach them to not be so self-focused," said local mom and 4-H youth agent Christina Meriwether.
About three years ago, Meriwether began encouraging her children to shop for their Christmas gifts online through the Gospel For Asia Web site, www.gfa.org. Gospel For Asia is a Christian ministry site that allows users to donate practical items — including everything from chickens and cows to blankets and bicycles — to needy families in Asia.
Ever since, her two children, Hayley, 10, and Austin, 8, have saved up some of the money they earn doing chores to make donations in other peoples' names as Christmas gifts each year.
"It reinforces the Biblical principles of giving and not expecting anything in return," Meriwether said.
Web sites offering similar services include www.worldvision.org, www.ihfonline.org and www.heifer.org.
On a more local level, many parents use the Angel Tree, sponsored by the Salvation Army, the Altrusa Club and CB&S Bank, as a teaching tool during the holiday season. The Angel Tree program allows participants to sign up to donate gifts to needy children in Leflore County.
"It's hard to teach children about giving these days, especially at a young age," said Beth Williams, general manager of The Alluvian and mother of two.
Williams tries to choose a girl off the Angel Tree who is about the same age as her older daughter, Mackenzie, 6. She then takes Mackenzie shopping and allows her to pick out the toys and clothes to give to the girl.
"I think if it's someone their own age, they can really relate and understand," Williams said.
She hopes exposing her children to charitable giving at an early age will lead them to continue the practice throughout their lives. Plus, Mackenzie enjoys it.
"She looks forward to it. She thinks she's doing something important," Williams said.
Shawna Young, another local mom who works at Pillow Academy, also has used the Angel Tree to teach her daughter, Neely, 12, about giving and to think of those who are less fortunate.
"Kids are so willing to give. They love going shopping for the Angel Tree," Young said.
Young said she also had to teach Neely when to stop when it came to giving gifts.
"I have a very unique child. She would buy everything for everybody," Young said.
She now gives Neely a pre-paid Wal-Mart gift card to shop with, which also helps teach her to stay within a budget.
Many parents also try to teach their children to appreciate the time and money others have spent on gifts for them, either by saying "thank you" verbally or sending a thank-you note.
When she hosts parties for her grandchildren, Rhonda Drummond takes a photo during the celebration and uses it to make personalized thank-you cards. The children can then write their own notes on the cards and send them to their friends who gave them gifts.
"Since they are only 2 and 4, they are actually scribbling, but they know they are telling their friends 'thank you' in their own way," Drummond said.
Meriwether said some other ways she helps cut down on the commercialism of Christmas are to avoid taking her children shopping around the holidays and to have them limit their wish lists to just three items each year.
"Being a parent, you want to give your child everything, so it's hard," Meriwether said. "But I try to keep it as simple as possible and focus on the reason for celebrating Christmas."
