It was Christmas 2014. My little sisters and I had just opened piles upon piles of brightly wrapped presents. All 3 of us got our own Ipads. We were starting them up and downloading games and music onto them. I downloaded Snapchat onto my iPad. I wanted to see my classmates spoil. As I tapped through all the different stories I saw a large variety of gifts. Some kids got Ipads, Ipods, Wii U’s, DS’s, and so many other types of technology, but there was one image that stood out in particular. The kid has posted an image of their Christmas haul, but it didn’t seem like much of a haul at all. They had gotten some pokemon cards, candies, socks, etc. Nothing like what I got. In my family, we always get at least one expensive piece of technology, whether it be an Ipad or AirPods. What he got as large main gifts was what I got as stocking stuffers. I realized something at that moment.
I was, and still am, privileged. My mom hasn’t worked since I was born, and yet we can afford luxuries like trips to Mexico and Disney world yearly. I knew that this boy had never even left the country. That was such a wild concept for someone like me. Someone who has never once thought about how much money my dad actually made. The extravagant presents that I get for Christmas is not the “norm”. Not everyone gets Ipads and laptops for Christmas.
Every Christmas since then I think about those boy’s Christmas presents. How He got so little and I got so much. My family can afford to purchase luxury items like Ipads and individual laptops for everyone in the house. Not everyone is so lucky. After that Christmas I found myself asking for more modest gifts. Maybe it was because of that boy’s Snapchat story, or maybe it was just because there was no more I could ask for.
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Hi Meg! As I read your story I felt really connected to what you wrote and to what you had been thinking in that moment. Your story sparked memories for me as I was reading. I remembered similar moments of realization I have had on birthdays or Christmases where I realized I was extremely privileged to be getting the gifts I was getting compared to some who may not get quite as much. I grew up the same way with being a lucky kid and being gifted with what I would have wanted at the time and taking hot trips yearly. I was able to visualize the moment you were describing and connect to the emotion and thoughts that were brought forward through the story. The questions I have after reading through is; what were the emotions you were feeling at that moment of realization? Did you have any sort of feelings of guilt? I ask these questions because reflecting on my own moments like this, I had felt guilty or sort of saddened that I hadn’t taken the time to appreciate that I was extremely lucky and privileged and that not everyone lives comfortably like that. It took some time for me to truly appreciate what I have been given my whole life.
Thank you for sharing this story! Moments like these can be very vulnerable and eye opening for people. It’s important to learn these things as we grow and stop to appreciate what we have that others may not. After reading this I realize that I’ve learned that I no longer feel guilty for receiving nice things, taking vacations or even treating myself, I simply am allowed to appreciate it all. Through your writing I was able to imagine the exact thought process you went through and connect to the text very well.
Avery 🙂