No one understands the spirit of Christmas quite like children. While they are almost always excited to receive presents, many are also excited to give and see the joy in others.

One little boy in Illinois proved this to be true by choosing to put his family before himself.

A little boy was chosen to go on a $100 Walmart shopping spree and used all of the money for his family.

Every year, Cook County, Illinois hosts a Shop With a Sheriff event. For these events, disadvantaged children from the area are chosen and paired up with a member of the sheriff’s office. Each child has $100 to spend on Christmas gifts they probably wouldn’t receive otherwise.

According to NBC Chicago 5, a little boy named Carlos was paired with Lt. Michael Rivers, who noticed something different about the boy's shopping choices.

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“He grabbed the Barbie doll set,” Rivers said. “I say, ‘Oh, who’s that for?’ And he was like, ‘This is for my sister.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh, that’s real nice.’”

Carlos began his shopping by picking something out for his sister, another child who was likely to have little under the tree on Christmas morning. After picking out her Barbie, he moved on to a gift for his mother. “And then the next thing you know, he was like, ‘Where’s the pots and pans?’” said Rivers. “He grabbed a big nice set. I said, ‘Who’s that for?’ He said, ‘That’s for my mom.’”

When it was time for Carlos to check out, police officers double-bagged his set of pots and pans so it would stay safe. That was when they began to ask him questions.

“Did you get something for yourself?” one of the officers asked. “No … I don’t need anything … I’m here to give stuff to my family,” Carlos responded.

Photo: Muralinath / Canva Pro

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Everyone was understandably touched by Carlos’s kindness.

“You don’t find children like him everyday. His parents may not have much but they are rich beyond compare and it shows in him,” wrote one person. “That’s what Christmas is about,” said another. Multiple people asked if there was a way they could send Carlos gifts themselves.

After purchasing the gifts for his family, Rivers told Carlos to go back and get something for himself. Even with this charge from Rivers, Carlos still did not want to deviate from his plan to buy gifts for others. “It was a bit challenging because he honestly did not want to get anything for himself. So he was like, ‘Can I get something for somebody else?’” Rivers shared.

Carlos did eventually pick out some Legos for himself. A Walmart manager who saw what he had done offered to give $100 to pay for Carlos’s gift for himself. TikTok users were equally impressed by this. “Shout out to the man who stepped up to give money for the kid’s present,” one said. “That man who donated $100 is a Christmas angel,” another chimed in.

When Carlos was asked why he chose not to get anything for himself, his answer was simple. “I prefer giving stuff to my family,” he said.

Rivers said this was not the first time he had seen this happen at the Shop With a Sheriff event. He pointed out kids in the past who bought things like laundry detergent to make things easier for their families.

Carlos is a shining example of what Christmas is really about. It’s not about gifts, but about what we can do for others. Knowing there are children out there with an understanding of this concept makes the whole world seem a little brighter.

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.