Back in 1998, amid major international and national developments, a near miracle happened to our family that I wish to share with you.

Iraq was being bombed, and the U.S. constitution was being debated in the Capitol, but lo and behold, peace and goodwill erupted among our children!

This surprising turn of events was certainly more unexpected than the bombing or the president's impeachment.

Believe it or not, our children happily donated their Chanukah gifts to charity, indeed a season of miracles. Like real miracles, it was initiated by a higher power, in this case, the parents.

Usually on Chanukah we exchange gifts with my sister-in-law's family, a dozen cousins aged 5 - 15. Each kid gets two nice gifts.

A week before the party, my kids began listing the things they wanted. They sounded a bit greedy, so I said, "OK, you got your list. Now listen to mine." And I listed the charities to which my wife and I gave time or money.

The kids were surprised. They had no idea of our involvement with worthy causes. True, charity - tzedaka - is supposed to be private, and the highest form of tzedaka is an anonymous gift. But how could we teach our kids by example if we hid the example?

Meanwhile, several blocks away, my sister-in-law had a similar conversation with her kids. A plan was thus hatched. This year, each kid would get a token $10 gift certificate, and they'd donate all the money we didn't spend on more expensive gifts.

The plan was great, now we just had to convince 12 consumer-happy little American capitalists. I expected a reaction similar to what the Republicans gave Clinton.

Then the miracle kicked in. The children listened attentively as each adult told them about a charity we worked for or donated. We gave the kids the extra money in $10 bills, with envelopes bearing the names of our charities. They proceeded to distribute the money as earnestly as any foundation board!

I predicted that they'd split the money evenly among the charities and call it a day: five minutes, max. Instead, they debated, empathized, did math and were still going at it an hour later. Several kids took out their own money and added it into the envelopes.

We adults watched in awe and wonder. It was our best Chanukah ever. We received the only gift a parent wants: children as good and as pure as you dreamed they'd be when you watched them sleeping in their cribs long ago, when you were as innocent in the ways of parenting as they were in the ways of the world.