There’s nothing quite like giving of your time to help those less fortunate than you are. I’ve give to charities throughout the year – granted it’s not in the thousand$, but nonetheless I do give what I can and when I can. It’s a good thing and it’s a great feeling to be able to give back to my community and also to the causes that my friends support.

Today I was wide-awake at 4:15am, energized and ready to spend the entire day volunteering for the The Empty Stocking Fund. I was up so early in the day in part because as a coordinator who was charged with organizing volunteers from my company to help, I was worried that I may have overlooked something in the planning process.

So, there I was in my kitchen at the butt crack of dawn sipping tea, watching the morning headlines on TV and preparing myself for a day of giving.

If you’re not familiar with the Empty Stocking Fund, it’s an Atlanta institution that has served hundreds of thousands of families since the 1930’s, providing toys and assistance to underprivileged children.

With my team of volunteers in place and ready for the doors to open, I couldn’t wait to meet the recipients face to face. It was incredible. People standing in line in the early hours of the morning waiting for their opportunity to receive toys for their children. And the look on their faces – there were stories to tell, and I wish I had had the time to sit and chat at length with at least one of them to listen to their life story. At one point, a lady I was helping select toys for her children said to me, 'I'm about to cry because this is so nice what you are doing for me. It's just me and my girls and this means a lot.' In that moment, I didn't change her life...she changed mine.

As a kid growing up, there were a few slim Christmases where there was not much to go around, but my parents always gave us what they could, and every year without fail, they made it magical.

It’s near bedtime now, my body aches from running around all day, but it’s a good ache because I know that it was all worth while, and when those children wake up on Christmas morning to those bright, shinny new toys, I can reflect back on this day and think ‘I helped do that’.

And that’s going to make my Christmas even more joyful. The joy they’ll experience is nothing compared to the overwhelming happiness I felt helping them.