Christmas at Răsărit Kindergarten Means Love and Giving!

Christmas is the holiday that brings boundless joy into the souls of people everywhere, from the youngest to the oldest. Christmas is an emotional experience that should dwell in our soul, moment by moment! May we feel this emotion and cultivate as often as we can all the beautiful feelings that make it up: love, forgiveness, understanding, acceptance, the desire to be good and to do good to those around us.

The meaning of Christmas fades when it is only tinsel and ribbons, without good deeds.

The joy of Christmas means the spirit of giving without thinking that you must receive. It means happiness because you see joyful people. It means forgetting about yourself and finding time for others. It means removing what is insignificant and concentrating on the real values. It means the moment in which we understand most deeply that the more love we give to others, the more we have to give. It is important for the development of the little ones to teach them to give a smile, attention, love and toys without expecting anything in return.

At Răsărit Kindergarten, these simple things are learned from the moment they step across the threshold, right from the baby group. What matters is to have the grown-ups alongside us. When the grown-ups give and rejoice alongside the little ones, the children too will want to share the joy of giving with those around them. Altruism is one of the noblest characteristics of the human being and it can be planted in our children's souls, beginning with the first day of kindergarten. Although selfishness is characteristic of children, with much patience and with the help of the adults in the kindergarten and in the family, the little ones can learn that it is more beautiful to give than to play alone. When they no longer like a toy or their little clothes have become too small, we teach them to give them to other children who need them. Placement centers, schools that have classes with children under the protection of the child protection services (DGASPC), day centers, social assistance centers, are places where the children of our kindergarten will enjoy enormously giving from their own toys and the packages of sweets prepared by their parents.

Thanks to these actions that we carry out in the kindergarten, our children have learned from reality that there are many who have no one to receive a gift from, a hug, a smile, a ray of light. Thus, they will appreciate more the gesture of receiving a little car or a doll, even if they wanted more than that. Children who learn to give from an early age will become generous adults, attentive to their loved ones. They learn that “sharing” with others is something important and that it can convey different messages: «I love you», «I care about you», «I am glad you are here, with me». Some people enjoy receiving, others find it hard, but feel great joy in giving.

The true joy of Christmas does not come from the rush and bustle of doing more and is not found in buying gifts. We find the true joy in simple things, when we help an old man who suffers from loneliness, a child who has never known or felt the aroma of a steaming sweet bread, or the warmth of soft wool socks, a child who lacks the feeling of belonging to a family and the assurance that they are wanted.

That is why in this period at Răsărit Kindergarten, mutual-aid actions are organized for those less favored by fate. Each action sensitizes both the children and the parents, both parties being directly involved in these actions. The children through the act of giving and the parents through their donations for this purpose. At Christmas, we should all be (or try to be) better, try to bring a little happiness into the souls of the people who have long forgotten this feeling, try to bring a smile to their faces.

Christmas is the most beautiful holiday of the year because it reminds us to be united, to love, to smile, to give. Christmas brings warmth into our souls. Christmas is for good deeds. Christmas is for giving with all our heart without thinking that we must receive something in return. Christmas is about smiles, about joy, about harmony. Christmas is the moment when you make more time for others. Christmas is the moment when you focus on the things that truly matter.

As the Christmas atmosphere envelops us in all its glory, may we seek, as the magi did a very, very long time ago, the shining star to guide us in this Christmas season to serve our fellow human beings in need. May we bring smiles to sad faces, brightness to tearful eyes, love and affection to the hearts of those who have never felt it, and the hope that they are not alone. May we all make this journey taking with us a gentle and loving heart.

May the spirit of Christmas endure and accompany us every day!

Magda Zambet

December 6, 2017