On giving...and letting go

As we were putting out treats for Santa Claus this year, with my wife Davianne, and sons Aaron (7) and Forest (5) we decided to leave a note of thanks as well.  Later, Aaron came out with his Panda Bear, a favorite stuffed animal of his, requesting we also leave this for Santa Claus.  I thought that was a sweet gesture, but I had mixed feelings as Panda was one of my childhhood friends that I had passed down to Aaron.  He has seen me through many emotional moments growing up.

As I was tucking Aaron and Forest in for bed, Aaron clarified that Panda was not for Santa, but for Santa to pass along to another child during his nightly travels across the planet.  So as hard as it was for me to let go of Panda, I decided this was a very sweet gesture indeed.  When we woke we found a note from Santa thanking us for the treats and thanking Aaron for giving up Panda - he knew "just the child for him."

We will be dropping Panda off at a local thrift store - not the one we frequent, just in case.  And I know that Panda will offer some lucky child a tremendous gift and I, like Aaron am happy and honored to share that this season.