‘Twas the night before Christmas and, amazing enough,
My boys let me donate a bunch of their stuff.
“But, Mom, not this one, not those toys, not that!”
D said as I cleaned and he sat and he sat.
“D, you heard what I said about kids in need.
‘Tis the season for giving, not hoarding or greed.”
“I know, Mom. Ok,” he said with a pout.
He need not love it, this stuff must get out!
So we packed up the car, hauled the boxes away.
When we finished our mission, he turned to say,
“We gave all our toys to the kids without money.”
“Yes, yes we did, and I’m proud of you honey.”
A smile crossed his face, as his joy inside grew.
We looked at each other and then we both knew:
‘Tis better to give than receive, this is clear.
But it’s not just about toys or this time of the year.
The giving of love leads the heart to swell,
to a stranger, a child, or a friend you know well.
May we all love thy neighbor, those far and near,
And may you have a blessed and charitable New Year.
- Merry Christmas from the Johnsons
This is absolutely beautifully written, Emmie!