To give back during a holiday where it's all about giving and

Tobias Harris once spoke with the warmth of gratitude and the nobility of service: “To give back during a holiday where it’s all about giving and being thankful—I’ve always been blessed to have a meal on my plate during Thanksgiving—and to spread that feeling to someone else’s family, it’s special. This is something that is truly important to me.” These words are more than reflections on a holiday; they are a teaching on generosity, humility, and the sacred duty of sharing blessings with others. For the measure of a man is not how much he possesses, but how much he shares.

The ancients understood this truth deeply. In every culture, festivals were not only times of feasting, but times of giving back, when the rich were called to care for the poor, and the strong were called to lift the weak. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the harvest festivals commanded that portions of the field be left for the stranger and the widow. In Rome, certain holy days required offerings to be distributed to the people, reminding citizens that abundance was never meant to be hoarded. Harris’ words echo this eternal rhythm: to feast rightly is not only to eat, but to ensure others eat as well.

His acknowledgment of being blessed to always have food upon his plate is a confession of humility. Many in this world never know such security, and even in times of celebration, hunger sits at the tables of countless homes. To be thankful is to recognize this difference, not with pride, but with compassion. Harris’ choice to give back springs from this humility—an awareness that blessings are not given to inflate the self, but to enable one to bless others.

History gives us powerful examples of this principle. Consider Saint Nicholas of Myra, the man whose generosity would inspire the story of Santa Claus. Though he lived centuries ago, he quietly gave gifts and food to the poor in times of hardship, spreading joy and relief to families in need. His legacy endures because he understood the same truth Harris speaks of: that the spirit of festivals and holy days lies not in self-indulgence, but in acts of generosity that ripple through generations.

The deeper meaning of Harris’ words is this: gratitude finds its truest expression not in words alone, but in deeds. To be thankful for food is good; to share that food is divine. The joy of Thanksgiving does not lie only in abundance, but in the love and dignity restored to others when they, too, can sit with their families around a table of plenty. In this, Harris reveals the ancient wisdom that giving multiplies joy—it spreads light from one household to another until the whole community is warmed.

The lesson is clear. We must never forget that our blessings are not ours alone. Every talent, every meal, every comfort carries within it a responsibility. To give back is not optional; it is the very essence of gratitude. The one who feasts while ignoring the hungry has misunderstood the meaning of abundance. But the one who shares ensures that the holiday becomes not just a personal memory, but a communal celebration of unity and love.

Practical counsel may be taken. In your own life, do not wait for wealth or excess to give. Share what you can, when you can—a meal, a coat, a kind word, or time spent with those who are alone. Use holidays, not merely as times of indulgence, but as opportunities to give back, to spread warmth, to extend gratitude outward in visible, tangible ways. In this way, like Tobias Harris, you will find that giving does not diminish your blessings—it multiplies them.

Thus, Harris’ words stand as both reminder and challenge: “To give back, to be thankful, to spread blessing—this is truly important.” Let us carry this wisdom beyond a single holiday, making generosity a way of life. For in the end, the greatest legacy of any feast, any celebration, or any life is not what we consumed, but what we gave to others.