A Child's Christmas Wish

His eyes large, his blonde hair shimmering under the photographer's bright lamp, he smiled shyly at Santa. At two and a half years old, he looked tiny on the white-bearded man's lap.

"What would you like Santa to bring you for Christmas?" the large man asked.

"A choo-choo train and rocks and sticks," he whispered.

"Uh, yes, a choo-choo train." Santa rubbed his gloved hand thoughtfully on his cheek. "Rocks and sticks also, heh?" Santa's face wore a puzzled expression.

The small child nodded his head emphatically, "Yes, rocks and sticks."

"Well, I'm sure that can be arranged," Santa smiled as he handed him a candy cane and colouring book and lifted him down from his lap.

For the next few weeks the child talked of little else except the rocks and sticks he was going to get from Santa for Christmas. His excitement seemed to know no bounds. But did he really want rocks and sticks?

Right up until Christmas Eve, his parents weren't sure how to handle this delicate situation. Finally by late that evening they had made their decision.

Early Christmas morning, they gave him the brightly wrapped box of rocks and sticks. As he tore off the colourful paper and opened the box, he beamed. "Rocks and sticks!" Inspecting each specimen carefully, his parents encouraged him to open his other gifts. Reluctantly, he put his precious gift aside and opened the box holding his 'choo-choo' train.

For the rest of Christmas Day he interspersed his playtime between the train and the rocks and sticks. "Why don't you open your other gifts?" his parents asked.

"No," he announced as he happily continued to play with these two precious gifts.

This little boy is my grandson. Thinking about his joy at receiving rocks and sticks, I realize that as adults we place too much value on gifts. We do not need to buy a child expensive toys and they don't need to have a lot of gifts under the tree. When I thought further about his uncontained happiness with his box of rocks and sticks, I realized that children have a better understanding of the meaning of Christmas than we do as adults. Happiness comes from within; it is being pleased with simple things and not looking for expensive gifts. They were what he had asked for; he needed no other gifts.