Christmas is one of the best times of the year, and for many reasons. The food is a better, you see family you haven't seen since the last major holiday, and you can get extra decorative while wrapping the gifts you plan to give to your loved ones.

Personally, my favorite part about the holiday season is the giving of gifts, and I think it goes back to when I was in 5th grade and I participated in the Giving Tree program.

My 5th grade class raised money and went shopping for one of the many young kids in my community that weren't going to get presents that year. How the program works is a fairly simple. Low income families throughout the community have the opportunity to sign up their child on a list. Each child gets a tag with a wishlist on it, then volunteers hang the tags on little Christmas tree in local banks and stores. Then community members come into the tree locations, pick a tag off the tree, and shop for that child. All that is on the wish list is the gender of the child, the age, the clothing size, and any specific items the parents request.

I remember shopping for a young boy when I was in 5th grade. He was only 2 years younger than I was, which really hit home for me. Knowing that a kid my own age wasn't going to get any presents without our help made me very sad. As we shopped we learned how to stretch a dollar, in the hopes that we could get the kid as many gifts as possible.

With every year I participate in the Giving Tree program, I become more aware of how blessed I am. Going to the store and shopping for a child fills my heart with so much joy, because although I know I'm spending money I could be spending on myself or my family, I would much rather have a picture in my head of a little boy or girl smiling as they open their presents on Christmas morning. The best part, for me, is when I bring the tag and present back and put it under the Giving Tree and see all the tree tagless and presents stacked up underneath. One year there was a brand new bike underneath the tree. Seeing fellow community members step up and help always makes me smile, and thinking about how this generosity might make parents feel warms my heart as well. They know that they couldn't afford the presents themselves, but the idea of a community coming together to anonymously help families they don't know can put a smile on anyone's face.

The hard part, however is seeing the tags that are left on the tree. Every kid, no matter if they have been naughty or nice, deserves to have a smile on their face on Christmas, and it's hard to image some kids not receiving anything, not even clothing, which is something they most likely need.

I keep coming back to the Giving tree because it has given so much to me. It has given me an entirely knew perspective on life and the importance of giving thanks, plus it has given me the opportunity to give back. I have given a lot of presents, and I hope I have given some smiles too (which is the best gift to give), but in the end, I truly believe I have gotten more out of the experience than I have ever given, and I've been doing this since 5th grade.