Don't forget about others this season.

I am getting in to the Christmas spirit a little early this year. I went to a local store and noticed that the giving tree was full, so I picked off two kids this time.

I love these giving trees! And I will tell you why.

(Many, many years ago!)

I started out as a young mom and married, after 8 years of marriage, he decided that there were other greener pastures, and I was left with two kids and a father that was no where to be found, at 25 I worked full time and scraped by, meeting the husband I currently have. I re-married and he took the full responsibility of being my kids new dad, we had a son together right away. We rented a old farmhouse and I stayed home since it did not pay for me to work outside the home with daycare costs. What he made barely paid for the necessities, we received toys for tots and food shelf donations the first Christmas, we had absolutely nothing. I went to trade school for two years and we were broke. Everything we had was used including our clothing. ( I still like garage sales!)

I will never forget these times, we always wondered or worried how we were going to get by another day, but we did. A newborn baby and two older daughters. It is bad enough when it is just you, but I had three kids, and I was always worried.

I look back and wonder how we made it, and I always will remember out of know where a truck came on Christmas eve bringing gifts for the kids(more like necessities), and a box of food for us. And even a little gift for me, came with that, a small glass angel Christmas ornament, except we did not have a Christmas tree because we could not afford one. So I put it in the window sill.

This year I grabbed a newborn and a 17 year old, I went out and had fun shopping for them, I know that they will be very grateful for what they receive. I always get the parents something also, since I know they are down and out. I encourage any one who can to do the same, I know this economy poses some real challenges.

My kids love doing this also, I have them each take a tag off the tree for another child about there age. I have a big family in "today's" standard, (6 kids) but I still find that our kids have more "stuff" than I would have ever had, and I am sure that I had more than my parents. It is hard for kids to understand when they go to school and see all the new, trendy clothing and electronics, there is another side to the story, where there are others who do not even have the basics that they need. By teaching our kids there is more to life than "stuff" we can help them get a better start in life.

Life is not "having" everything, or he who dies with the most toys wins.