There's almost nothing more amazing in nature, than the savagery with which a small human child attacks the pile of gifts, on Christmas morning, that Santa Claus left under the tree. However long it took to wrap a present, any self-respecting six-year-old can rip its outer shell to shreds in mere seconds. Most children will attack the good stuff, first.
The toys that Santa Claus packed on his sleigh, and brought down the chimney, are the things that get the most special attention. They're the things that were most wanted and probably requested of Santa, in a letter to the North Pole, or in person at the mall. There are other gifts to be opened, too. These aren't the ones that Santa was asked to deliver. These aren't gifts that anyone was actually asked to give.
At least, not by the child who receives them. More often than not, these gifts are from relatives, or from parents. They aren't exciting or exhilirating, but they might be used for a long, long time. These are the socks and the underwear, the gloves and the snow-pants, the sweatshirts and the scarves, that your child would never think about asking for, because they're things that have always just been around. But they're also gifts that someone spent time and money on, gifts that someone wrapped and boxed and mailed.
They are gifts whose senders deserve to be thanked every bit as enthusiastically as Santa Claus gets thanked for the gifts he brings. How nice it would be, for the relative or friend who went to such trouble, to receive a personal thank you in the mail. Electronic mail and messaging may the modern way to communicate, but there's nothing quite as pleasant as opening a mailbox and finding a thank-you note. Your child may not know how to write, yet, but that doesn't mean he can't learn the art of the personal thank you, early. A smiling photo of him with the gift, taped or tucked into a greeting card, will receive a joyful welcome, when Grandma pulls it out of her mailbox.
Expressing thanks is a good lesson for anyone to learn at a young age. It's not just polite-children will enjoy making their relatives and friends feel good, by letting those gift-givers know how grateful they are, for the thought that went into those gifts.
Imaginary Greetings is committed to working with you to help build the hopes, dreams, and imaginations in those who are the most important in your life. Make it happen when you place Santa tracks throughout your home this Christmas season.
