OK, so we spammed with commercials luring us to spend our hard earned cash, or credit cards in buying the perfect gift for our loved ones and especially the children. The magic of seeing children’s faces lighting up in anticipation of whats hiding behind the sexy wrapping is priceless, or is it?
Christmas makes me sad. Kendall my 12 year old Autistic daughter don’t share the normal anticipation of gifts. I have seen it too many times when family buying expensive gifts for children like Kendall and get offended by their reaction to the goodwill.
I want to tell a story and hope that we all can learn from it. The names have been changed.
Every year the Adams family get together for Christmas with the same routine. Jimmy’s house on Christmas morning for everybody to open their gifts together and then lunch at Tony’s.
Christmas morning, everybody gathers with the technicolor mache of gifts in all shapes and sizes. All the children have their turn to sit in the special chair to receive and open their gifts. The next door neighbours even got excited by the children’s happiness.
Little Julie (Jimmy’s daughter) is Autistic. She is very interested in the wrapping paper folding it and tearing it, whilst the other children open their gifts.
Then it was Julies turn in the hot spot. Her mom persuaded her to sit in the special chair and handed her the first gift, which she opened. Pretty doll got tossed, however she loved and appreciated the shiny wrapping paper.
Next aunty Jenny’s gift, with an action replay effect which carried on until the rest of the children grabbed some cool toys from the pile of gifts next to her.
Julies baby brother (Jamie) handed her the last gift. Jamie only 6 years old, handed Julie a partially covered shoe box too cute. Everybody wanted to see what he got for his sister. Julie opened with her face of a happy angel. Julie non-verbal jumped up and ran to her bedroom.
Nobody has ever seen Julie so excited. Jamie knew his sister the best. He knew what what was important to her and gave her exactly what she wanted, no expensive gifts, no pretty clothes.
Never have you seen anybody so excited about a shoebox full of newspapers strips.
Lesson: Do we know what makes other people happy or are we guessing?
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