Our blended family, with all its complications, actually gets much easier this time of year. Logan is raised in two homes with two religions so he gets Hanukah AND Christmas. Throw in his December birthday and he has a heck of a month. About two months ago we started asking Logan what he wanted for his birthday and Christmas. The answers always changed and he never seemed that excited about anything we proposed. After my husband was pestering him one day he said, “Dad, I don’t need anything.” This answer surprised my husband who unabashedly tells me stories of circling everything in the Sears’s Wishbook as a kid and trying to mail the entire catalogue to Santa. 
So we asked Logan what he would like to do. “Give money to charity” was one answer. Then we asked “what about a couple of toys?” Logan thought about it and then said “what about ALL my toys?” All of them. Every birthday present he was going to get was going to be donated to a toy drive. We were very, very proud of him and a little taken aback at his maturity. This is a kid who has a built-in excuse to be a brat, to be greedy, to ask for more and stamp his feet. He has two homes, four parents and was an only child for the better part of six years. After Logan had his birthday party, we piled all of the presents up and we were expecting him to have some regrets about agreeing to give them all away. But he didn’t. He was genuinely excited that other kids would be happy when receiving the gifts for Christmas. 
We donated them to a toy drive for Sick Kids and Logan was even excused from school so he could help deliver and sort the presents with one of his friends. We ask Logan frequently what he “wants” and he tells us “just to be with the family”. We are very aware of how blessed we are. To live in Canada, to have a son like Logan who is so caring and giving and also to see how we should all do more. If a seven-year-old can give so much, we all should. So this year we learned that the holidays are about spending time with loved ones. We learned the it’s truly better to give than to receive. And we learned that no matter what size you are, you’re never too small to make a difference. I don’t think the Grinch is the only one whose heart grew three sizes this year. Thanks Logan!
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