Like a lot of workplaces do around the holidays, the site I'm currently at asked its employees to participate in bringing gifts for an Angel Tree. I sit close to the front office where the gifts were collected, and it's been interesting to hear the comments people have made about the kids, the gifts, and the idea of charitable giving. There are those who are thrilled at the idea of shopping for a child in need and those who pick out several kids to bless. There are others who contribute because their co-worker guilted them into it, and I've even heard the complaint of "These Angel kids are just taking money away from my own kids. This money was supposed to go towards the XBox my son has been asking for."
Yikes.
I'm not gonna tear that one apart, but I've been thinking a lot about this season of giving. I like picking out gifts to give to people just as much as the next person, but I've been wondering lately why we only give gifts at Christmastime. I don't mean that we should be constantly buying things for people year-round; might get a little crazy. But I do want to be the kind of person that is not just a seasonal giver. I want to find ways to give small gifts, to give my time, to give a listening ear, to give my heart to people throughout the year and not just when it's the traditional time of year for presents.
And when I do give, I want to give like the guy at work who brought in a boy's bike for his Angel gift. Apparently, when he got to the store to pick out the items on the boy's list, he saw the same kind of bike that he had always wanted as a little boy but never gotten. He called the office assistant right then to ask if it was ok to spend more than the limit (The Angel lists had a price limit on them in order to help balance the gifts from child to child.), so that he could get the bike for his Angel boy. I love the giving heart behind his actions, the meaningful blessing to a complete stranger. That's the kind of giver I desire to be.
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