Hope In The Headlines This Holiday Season

I come from a family of gift listers. When I was a wee- one, my list was short and practical-- I told my mother that I would settle for Toys R Us. Cute, but hardly heartwarming. In a holiday season gone mad with consumerism, it's hard to see the true spirit of giving buried below the holiday shopping frenzy. But there is a growing number of glorious glimmers that show people can be pretty amazing. Two moving examples come from children.

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United Airlines was recently featured on ABC news for hosting a fantasy flight to the North Pole for seriously ill or recovering children. Sandwiched between stories of potential hate crimes and hypodermic needle attacks, a  little boy summed up the best of humanity.

When asked about his Christmas list, he didn't rattle off a list of games or toys; instead, the boy, with a thoughtful expression, exclaimed he "want[ed] to be good and happy forever." Cue the waterworks.

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The boy, surrounded by Santa, Minions, Batman, and other famed favorites, saw through the stuff, saw through the celebrity and wished to be the best person he could be for the rest of his life. I'm not ashamed to share that I got tears in my morning coffee. Safyre Terry's story, too, kept the Kleenex flowing in the O'Donnell household.

Safyre Terry, Liz Doddler told People Magazine, lost her entire immediate family along with all of her earthly possessions in a tragic 2013 fire.Doddler also shared that Sfyre only survived the flames because of her father's love-- he embraced her to prevent her from breathing the hot air.

This Christmas, all Safyre asked for was some contact. On the Safyre Schenectady's Super Survivor Facebook page, created by Doddler, her aunt posted Safyre's Christmas wish- Christmas cards to fill her Christmas card tree. The post went viral after Kevin Clark, with permission of Doddler, shared it.

Two years after she lost more than most adults could handle, she just wants people to reach out and, for a fleeting moment be part of her life. Naturally, the response was overwhelming. Safyre, in a Facebook video, thanked everyone and reported that her tree was full-- beside her, the tree and a box brimming with cards.

Safyre reminds us that small gestures matter, listening matters. Her humble request reminds us that heartfelt gifts that require some time and personal attention mean far more than anything we can pull off a rack and wrap.

This holiday season, here's to hoping that we all remember what draws us to join the herd of mall-goers or Amazon deal hunters. Stuff is easy and sometimes stuff is even nice, but stuff doesn't add up to love. We can give each other stuff any time of the year, so why not make a point of sharing our best selves as an act of love, whatever that looks like, with friends, families, and anyone else we encounter?