The Year I Learned Christmas Isn't About the Gifts

There was a year I thought being a good dad at Christmas meant buying everything. I’m talking the latest toys, all the games, toys in big boxes that would surly make my kids light up. I mean a brotha was spending his last dime like money was just gonna magically reappear in January.

I was stressed. Overthinking. Proud, though. Real proud.Like, yeah… Pops did his thing this year.

Then my five-year-old opened her big, beautiful gift.

And instead of playing with her barbie dream house… she climbed inside the big box it came in.

Not sat in it.

Played in it.

Turned it into a fort.

Then slid down the stairs with it like she was auditioning for the X Games.

Meanwhile, I’m standing there broke, confused, and kinda offended.

A box? Are you kidding me? I just emptied my pockets and she’s in love with cardboard.

That was the year it finally hit me.

People always say, “Christmas isn’t about the gifts.”

Yeah yeah… we’ve all heard that.

But that was the year I actually understood it.

It wasn’t about the toy.It wasn’t about the money.It wasn’t about how much I spent.

It was about the moment.

So now every year I wrap up a big ass box, slap a name tag on it, and watch their faces as they open it.

I’m joking… mostly.

But now that my kids are grown and I’ve got grandkids running around, Christmas in our family looks completely different. It’s not about the gifts at all. It’s about being together. Sitting around laughing. Cracking jokes. Reminiscing about old stories that somehow get worse every year.

And of course… watching the little ones do the exact same thing my kids did years ago.

Playing with boxes.

Christmas to us now is simple.It’s presence.It’s laughter.It’s family.

And every time I see a kid choose the box over the gift, I smile… because that cardboard box taught me more about Christmas than any receipt ever could.

Pops Prompt (Holiday Edition)

What’s one moment this Christmas you can stop stressing and just laugh?

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas. And if the kids ignore the gift and grab the box… you did it right.

Sharif Colbert

LifeCoachATL