My parents Dave and Sharon Ramsey taught me this lasting lesson about Christmas

Some of my fondest memories as a child are from Christmas seasons past.

Christmas mornings were always full of excitement and anticipation, as we woke up to see what Santa had left under the tree.

We only had one rule. Mom and dad told us we couldn’t open presents before 7:00 a.m. That was torture!

My sister, brother, and I would all get into one bed and anxiously wait until the clock finally hit 7:00. Then, we would sprint down to mom and dad’s bedroom room, pull them out of bed, and beg to open gifts.

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One of my favorite memories is from a Christmas nearly 20 years ago. My dad, money expert Dave Ramsey, had been telling us for weeks that we were going to absolutely love Christmas that year.

That morning, we opened all our gifts. There was some cool stuff, but honestly, nothing we thought was spectacular.

We asked dad why he kept mentioning how great this particular Christmas was going to be. Then, he smiled, left the room, and came back a few minutes later with one last box.

He put the box down in front of us, and suddenly it started moving. Being the brave child that I was, I blindly reached into the box and pulled out the contents. It was a little puppy—a pug!

We screamed and yelled, and truly couldn’t believe our eyes. We named her Angel because it was a miracle mom and dad let us have a puppy.

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But believe it or not, receiving that puppy wasn’t my best Christmas experience. The times that really stand out are the ones where our family focused on helping others.

One year, we bought gifts for three kids whose mom was single and couldn’t afford to buy them anything. I will never forget going shopping and delivering the gifts to her door.

I bought a Barbie that I personally wanted, but mom walked me through the process of giving. She taught me how important it is to pass good things on to others when God has blessed you.

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We went up to their door about a week before Christmas, and their mom didn’t know we were coming. When dad explained that we wanted to bless them that Christmas, she fell to her knees crying.

The little kids saw all the gifts, and their mouths dropped open. Dad wished them a very merry Christmas, and we left and got into the car.

It was a short encounter, but it’s a memory that will stay with me forever.

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I was blessed to be part of many amazing stories like that as a kid.

Understanding the gift of giving as a child helped shape me into the person I am today. And it’s all thanks to Dave and Sharon Ramsey’s passion for giving.

Thanks, mom and dad.

Rachel Cruze is a #1 New York Times best-selling author, host of "The Rachel Cruze Show "and "The Rachel Cruze Show Podcast." Rachel helps people learn the proper ways to handle money and stay out of debt. She’s authored three best-selling books, including "Love Your Life, Not Theirs" and "Smart Money Smart Kids," which she co-wrote with her father, Dave Ramsey. You can follow Cruze on Twitter and Instagram at @RachelCruze and online at www.rachelcruze.com,  youtube.com/rachelcruze or facebook.com/rachelramseycruze.