The Ultimate Gift

Life is so short. Wasting a moment of it seems like a shame.

As this holiday season descends upon the shoppers of our country it puts an unnecessary burden upon many of those already bowed down by unemployment, bills and illness.

I have lived a long time. My children are grown, independent, employed and successful enough for me. But there are a lot of children still coming up. Children bombarded by an world that makes empty promises about buying happiness with an electronic game, or super doll, or new dvd. Promises that are bound to fall through, creating only disappointment and disgust and distrust in the long run. You simply cannot buy real happiness.

It can’t be done. If anything, buying things only adds weight to the problems most of us already have. And children are smart. They know when they tire of a toy. You may fool yourself, but you can’t fool them for too long. Children know when something is missing in their lives even when they don’t know what it is. That is one of the reasons they beg us to play with them.

This year, why not try something new? Instead of capitulating to the American scheme of buy, buy, buy, try something more substantial, something that will last a long time, maybe even a lifetime.

Give your children traditions and the gift of yourselves along with whatever toys you feel are absolutely necessary. Show them that happiness is a personal thing, something that comes from within each one of us. You cannot give them happiness, you can only hope that by finding it for yourself, you can point them towards finding their own.

It is a lot harder, takes a lot more work, a little chutzpah, a commitment to yourself, your family and their future, but what could be more important than that?