Spirit Of Christmas

Do you remember Christmas mornings when you were younger? Waking up and running to the Christmas tree to see if Santa had come? Now fast forward to now. Think of when you watched someone you care about open a gift from you. That warm, fuzzy feeling it gave you, deep down inside. How their smile made you smile. That feeling my friends is the spirit of Christmas. Let me tell you my story of how I learned the true spirit of Christmas. My mom has always made Christmas special for my little sister and me. We start the holiday celebration by putting up our Christmas tree. As my little sister and I decorated it, my mom would point out some of her favorite ornaments. They were always the ones my sister and I hand-made at school, and gave them to her

His name was Saint Nicholas. St. Nick was a real man that lived in what’s known nowadays as Turkey, during the 4th century. He was raised by his uncle who was a priest. He was a wealthy man. He gave gifts to the needy. St. Nick always gave his gifts in secret. He wanted no thanks or praise. He wanted people to give thanks to God instead of him. After his death, people carried his generosity on. Mom explained to me that what St. Nick did and what his lesson taught us, is the true spirit of Christmas. She said three words that still stick with me now, “Giving without expectations.” She shared with me the joy she feels every year, when she gets to see the looks on out faces and see the joy we have when we open our gifts on Christmas morning. I got to experience it firsthand that year when my little sister’s face lit up when she tore off the wrapping paper and discovered the Easy Bake Oven she asked Santa

Just like how I always let my sister have the first cookie when they come out of the oven. I do it because it makes me feel good to see her happy. That feeling it gives me beats the “first cookie” any day. I hugged my mom tightly and kissed her cheek. “Thanks mom. I love you.” I told her. All three of us finished our night with hot cocoa and Christmas movie favorites on television. We laughed, smiled and enjoyed the movies. We all sang along to the Christmas carols the movies played. Mom even let us stay up later than usual to finish the last movie. She then walked us to bed and tucked us in. as she was leaving my room, I made sure to tell her thank you one last time. She replied, “You’re welcome son. Merry Christmas. I love you.” And with that I was fast