Giving Tree

We started a tradition with Ember this year at Christmas time that we hope to continue, which was picking a kiddo off of a "Giving Tree" to buy some Christmas presents for. The concept was a little hard for Ember to grasp.  He didn't quite understand how it was possible for a kiddo not to have Christmas presents when Santa would be bringing him some.  In the end, he understood it enough, and we forged ahead.  We picked a 3 year old boy named Logan who liked PJ Masks and Paw Patrol.  Ember helped pick out some stuff for him, including a PJ Masks t-shirt, a new pair of pants, and a Paw Patrol truck.  When it came to purchase the truck, Ember struggled with wanting it for himself, and we had to reiterate the idea of giving to others and why it is important and that we weren't there to shop for him.  It was a tough moment, but he got over it, and reinforced the idea that it feels good to give. I think the idea was just a little abstract for him still, but we hope this tradition will endure for years to come, and as he gets older he will start to understand it a bit more, and hopefully come to enjoy it!