I hope your holidays were filled with joy!
Imagine, for a minute, a child waking up on Christmas day and wondering if there will be any breakfast… already knowing there are no toys to unwrap.
That is a reality for too many in our communities this season.
Here’s a way that we were able to share joy with some other children this Christmas.
Every year, my family fills stockings for children in need. These are members of our community, our neighbors, our fellow men, women, and children who are suffering.
This year, we were so excited that #DisneyCFK sponsored a stocking stuffer so we could do even more and spread the word. This project is one of the simple ways you can help through Champions for Kids.
At school, my daughter wrote that during the holidays, our family likes to “decorate the tree”.
We’re also a singing in the car, playing the piano, and tapping our toes kind of family so, of course, there are lots of Christmas carols.
If you ask my son, he’d probably tell you that his favorite part of the holidays are all of the tasty desserts.
Like most kids, they also eagerly tore into their gifts, including quite a few Disney presents. Santa brought my daughter a fleece Disney Fairies throw and Papa got my son a Buzz Lightyear and I chose Mickey and Minnie and Toy Story Christmas Pajamas for them.
Better than a full stocking, though, is a full heart. A song shared with others sounds so much brighter and treats given away are much sweeter.
My favorite parts of the season were sitting by the fire with my husband, watching my daughter perform on the piano for the residents of a senior center, seeing my son charm his grandparents, and sitting my baby on the laps of his great grandparents.
The more love you give, the more you have.
I want my children to know that the real spirit of Christmas is found in family and togetherness and generosity of spirit.
That it is not the big gifts that matter but rather the little things.
Three little things in my case.
It breaks my heart that there are struggling neighbors in our community who have to scrape just to provide the barest necessities to their children—a warm coat, a hot meal, and a safe home. A Christmas stocking is a small thing to give but hopefully it helps a young child enjoy a moment of magic.
And “magic” is what Disney is all about. So, I knew I would have no trouble finding Disney stocking stuffers to delight six little kids.
My own kids had fun picking out Disney items they thought other kids would enjoy.
When we took our voyage on the Disney Dream last January, the kids got their first taste of Disney Magic.
My daughter loves fairies and everyday she packs up her Disney Fairies backpack, filled with her Fairies Folder and Fairies pencils, and heads off to school. My son’s favorite cuddly friend at night is his Sorcerer Mickey from Fantasia, the first movie they watched. And some of my other mom friends brought their own items to add to the pile.
Our kids stuffed the stockings with one of each type of item.
And then we packed them up to bring to Volunteer 4 Long Island.
It is a simple enough project that will hopefully let some children know that they matter to us.
Maybe a stocking does not change the underlying realities for a family in poverty–but a small gesture like this can give a child a moment of simple joy that carries them through tough times.
Even if it makes a difference for just one young person, it is worth it!
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TAKE ACTION: Join the 20:20 Campaign at www.ChampionsforKids.org, join the discussion on twitter with #DisneyCFK and follow them @champions4kids and on Facebook.
Disclosure: This post has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias
