About Beth Keklak

This may be a magical time of year but it also tends to bring on the gimmies.  My children’s Christmas lists are quite extensive as always.  However, I’ve also tried to teach my children the value of giving.  I love that they have inherited the love of picking the perfect present for their loved ones, whether it is from the store or something they have lovingly made with their own hands.

To help my children count their blessings and realize all they have, I always choose a tag off of the giving tree at church or school.  I make sure to discuss with my kids how not everyone is as lucky (or spoiled) as they are and it is nice of us to help someone else have a nice holiday.  Out of ease, I usually shop for the present myself and deliver it under the tree.  This year is a little different though,  I have felt it especially important to count my blessings.  I am watching two friends battle cancer, I have been the recipient of random kindness, and some luck has recently befallen me.  In counting my blessings, I wanted to help better instill the message of being charitable with my kids.

This year rather than picking one tag off the tree, I chose three tags off the giving tree for children around my kids ages.  I explained to them that we were going shopping, not for them, but for children they did not know.  I did not want to hear “can I have”, “I want” or anything else self-serving; our mission was to pick out nice gifts for someone less fortunate than us to help them have a nice Christmas.  I entered the store with trepidation, venturing into a store with all 3 kids in tow doesn’t always end well.  What I witnessed made me proud.  They each took their tags and entered the appropriate aisles and embarked on picking out a present as if they were picking it out for their best friend or themselves.  They perused the selections, they weighed their options, they decided if they chose a less expensive item then perhaps they could choose more than one present.  We walked out of the store with not 3 but 7 gifts.  Each child we bought for will have more than one gift to open under the tree on Christmas morning.  We came home and wrapped them together to complete our journey.

When I delivered them to the school I received a heartfelt thank you from the secretary that took them from me.  While all I said was “you’re welcome”, inside I was beaming that my children may have received the biggest gift this year, learning how to selflessly give to others.