Sour Grapes in Your Stocking

Sour Grapes in Your Stocking

One November, our school had a wonderful book sale. To add interest, the booksellers offered a free-raffle ticket for every student. The prize was a giant Christmas stocking filled with games, books, puzzles, and things all kids covet. All week they waited, giggling and wondering just who would win.

With bated breath my second grade class listened as the librarian finally announced the winner: “So and So in Room 12 wins the Christmas Stocking full of gifts!” As the reality of losing washed over my crowd, a light bulb went on:

 “Room 12! That’s Kindergarten!”  

“A kindergarten kid won that stocking?”

 “He won’t even know what to do with all that stuff! He’s too little.” 

Indignation surged.

“Well,” I said, “It is Christmas. Maybe he will want to give some of those things for gifts.” They thought this over. 

One of my eager beavers raised her hand. “If I had won, I would have given the baby books to my sister.” 

“ I would give ten things away,” piped up another.

“I would give half away!” called another

“I would only keep ten things!” said a particularly generous soul.

I could see the little wheels turning. A moment ago, they had wanted it all. When they heard that they had not won, sour grapes leaped into their mouths. How could a baby kindergartener appreciate this windfall?

They thought again. Maybe showing how generous they could be would be taking the higher road. Now they strove to out-give each other with evaporated gifts.

Second grade is often a microcosm of the world.  If you want to study humankind, you don’t need to travel the world seeking out philosophers, wise men, or scholars, just visit an elementary school classroom. All the thoughts, emotions, and urges of the world can be observed right there.

Growing up in a consumer world, kids want things. They want a lot of things, more things than they can possibly use. They get mad when others get what they considered rightly theirs. They grouse. They rationalize. They envy.

With a little redirection, they change. Maybe giving can be more satisfying than getting. Maybe giving is more honorable too since my teacher or my parents value it.

We are all the same. We want. Infants cry for milk. Toddlers scream for toys. Teens agitate for the latest fashions. Adults lust after the trendiest phones. Egged on by advertisers, we believe that we deserve these things just because we want them. 

That is why we need to be reminded. Giving really is more blessed than receiving. My students got a lot of pleasure giving away those imaginary gifts. Moms, dads, siblings, cousins, and friends benefited from their generous thoughts. Not because there were real gifts, but because they had come to a new way of thinking.

Perhaps in the future, they would think of another’s pleasure before fulfilling their own. Perhaps they will be an example of generosity to others passing this gift along.

As the sour grapes melted away, the ambrosia of giving filled their hearts.  I hope they never forget that raffle stocking. 

Losing it was a better prize than winning it.