My son turned five in December, and being that he was now in school, we decided that it was time for him to have his first real birthday party. I was not prepared for the amount of toys that he would receive and after the party, our house looked like Toys R Us.

I am not complaining about the generosity of his friends, but I knew that, with Christmas just around the corner, we were not going to be able to keep all of the gifts that he had received. I asked him to pick a few of his favorites and then we decided that we would donate the rest for underprivileged kids, so that they could have a great Christmas, too.

He of course, decided to keep the race car set with the rubber tracks and the computer game that he had asked for. The rest went to the city’s Secret Santa program. I am sure that the toys were enjoyed and I was happy that, in it all, my son learned the meaning of giving to those less fortunate.