The Gift of Giving




In a small, snowy town during the Great Depression, ten-year-old Charlie had only one wish for Christmas—an electric train. Times were tough, and Charlie knew his parents didn’t have much money, but he couldn’t help dreaming about the shiny engine and cars chugging along a track.

To Charlie’s amazement, when Christmas morning arrived, there it was: a beautiful electric train waiting for him under the tree. He could hardly believe his eyes. He spent hours watching the train race around the track, forwards and backwards, pulling its little cars. It was everything he had ever hoped for.




Later that day, Charlie’s mother mentioned they had also bought a gift for Mark, the boy who lived at the end of their lane. Mark’s family didn’t have much—his mother was a widow, and money was always tight. Charlie followed his mother to see the gift: a small, wind-up train.

As Charlie looked at Mark’s train, his eyes settled on a shiny tanker car, its bright red paint gleaming in the light. It was the perfect addition to his own set. Unable to resist, Charlie begged his mother to let him have it. Reluctantly, she agreed. Charlie added the car to his own train, feeling a small thrill of satisfaction.




That afternoon, Charlie and his mother delivered the rest of the train to Mark’s house. When Mark saw the gift, his face lit up with a joy Charlie had never seen before. He wound the key and watched as the little train clattered around its track, pulling its remaining cars and caboose.

But as Charlie watched, something inside him began to change. The shiny tanker car in his own set no longer seemed so special. In fact, it only made him feel heavy with guilt.

That evening, unable to shake the feeling, Charlie grabbed the tanker car—and one of his own train cars, too. He ran down the snowy lane to Mark’s house and knocked on the door.




When Mark opened it, Charlie held out the two cars. “These belong to your train,” he said, his cheeks red from more than just the cold.

Mark’s eyes widened as he took the cars, his joy even greater than before. “Thank you!” he said, smiling from ear to ear.

As Charlie walked home through the snow, his heart felt lighter than it ever had. His electric train was wonderful, but the happiness he felt from giving was even better. That Christmas, Charlie learned that the greatest gifts are the ones we give to others.


The End.