"Let me see.....I want a bike, and I'll need a helmet, umm.....some more molding clay, a baseball, a new bat and glove for sure, I was thinking I'd love a pogo stick, my hand-held Nintendo is getting pretty old and oh yeah a few......"

"Hey.....Come on now. You know you're not gonna get a hundred presents! No one can really appreciate their presents if they get too many. It's in our nature to be grateful for a few special things, but when we get tons of stuff, we become spoiled and I know you'll find this hard to believe but when we get too much stuff, we actually don't even fully enjoy what we get,"

"And we hardly remember where they came from or who they came from," he continued.

Sam looked down at his slippers and thought over what his father was saying. His father sat patiently waiting for his reply, but right when he was about to answer, they heard Sam's mother calling.

"Anyone feel like a treat?" she hollered, as she entered the living room carrying a big tray filled with luscious-looking cookies and a yummy variety of fruit-filled chocolate candy.

Sam quickly grabbed his favorites with both hands and placed them in front of him. Then his mom handed him a paper plate to put them on and sat down on the couch next to Sam's dad.

"I'm glad you came in with the tray when you did Julie. I was just explaining gratitude to Sam and these cookies should help my illustration," he whispered into her ear.

Julie nodded in agreement.

"You see Sam, it's like this......There are two very different ways Christmas can be celebrated. Let's pretend these cookies represent Christmas, the spiritual side and the sprinkles represent the material side.....One, we can sprinkle a little bit of Jesus and the meaning of His Birth....." he began; holding up the cookie. ".....mixing the birth of our Lord in with the festivities or number two; we can sprinkle a bit of festivities in with our celebration and worship of Jesus, our Lord and Savior Whom, by the way, this day is supposed to be about."

Sam picked up a big cookie and slowly ate away the sprinkles; staring at his dad, put the cookie back on the plate and said: "I get it. I'll appreciate whatever I get and be grateful. It's better to celebrate with big cookies with a little sprinkles on top, then with tiny cookies with a ton of sprinkles on top......hahaha...... And maybe I can even donate a toy this year."

"That's great! What a terrific idea! I'm proud of you son," replied his father. Then he ate the sprinkles off a big cookie with a big smile because he just taught his son an important lesson about the miracle of Christmas through an illustration of Christmas cookies with sprinkles.

Linzy has been writing for many years; seriously since her 3 kids were still young and inspirational. She has taken 2 courses in Bible studies and completed "Four Soils" Bible study course in a 26-month period; earning her certification in Bible Counselling.