“Not Your Average Class Gift,” New Era, December 2016
Not Your Average Class Gift
Emma S., North Carolina, USA
At my school, each class provides Christmas presents for a different child who wouldn’t have presents otherwise. The girl my class was assigned to help had asked for very little: just a doll and a book. At first we grudgingly all brought in a cheap book or discounted doll and put it in a box. But then we soon brought in more and more, realizing how good it felt to give. We were so excited each day to bring in things for this little girl that we would laugh with joy. Over the weeks we collected so many presents that they couldn’t fit in the box—the gifts were literally overflowing.
Instead of thinking about what we were getting for Christmas, we thought about the little girl’s face on Christmas morning, and it always made us smile and feel happy. It made us realize how the spirit of Christmas is about giving, not getting. And that made me think of what our Heavenly Father gave us that wonderful night: a Savior. He gave us a light, an example, and someone we can always trust. It made me realize how much Heavenly Father loves us—so much that He gave us a Savior, the Holy Ghost, our families, and our friends. I’m so grateful for that little girl and the lessons she taught me. That Christmas, the best gift for me was the giving.