Second verse, same as the first. This didn’t get quite the response I’d hoped, so I can only assume people didn’t see it. So I’ll be re-running this until the contest close next week.
My favorite part of the holidays is that I have an excuse to buy things for people. I’ve always enjoyed giving presents, much more than I enjoy shopping for myself. Apart from handbags, I don’t suffer from acquisitiveness. I rarely see something that I have to have, which makes Christmas shopping a blast.
I love finding the perfect gift for someone. Last Christmas, I bought mi suegra (my mother in law) a blue crystal Italian lamp. When it’s switched on, the light pours through the crystal and creates the most beautiful icy refractions — even the shade is crystal. It’s a lovely piece, and since she adores Tiffany lamps, I knew she would be delighted with it. I found it in a little antique store around the corner from my house.
This year, I’ve already started the season of giving. The policeman who works security on my block, keeping all of us safe through the night, reported a fire in his home. It wasn’t destroyed, but they lost a lot of their personal belongings. On Friday, my daughter and I went through her closet and got together a backpack full of clothing for his daughter, and then found some toys in good condition that she might enjoy. Then on Saturday, we went out and bought a gift card, which is good at a number of stores in the area, so they can shop for themselves and get what they need most.
There are a lot of great charities, but I like practicing philanthropy closer to home too. I like doing things for people myself. And anytime I help someone, my own problems seem to melt away, because I see that they’re just not that significant, compared to challenges that face other folks.
It’s good to step outside yourself this time of year, and not let yourself stress over presents, holiday meals, travel plans, or any other fairly trivial thing you can imagine. I used to stress over presents. What if they don’t like them? What if they think they’re stupid, cheesy, or worthless? Now I don’t care. I take my time and try to make the gifts personal and meaningful. Beyond that, there are no guarantees. And my personal yardstick is a different than it used to be. 
This time of year, I ask myself: Do you have a warm house? Food to eat? People who love you? Then you’re doing okay.
My kids are starting to learn the value of giving as well. They teach philanthropy at Greengates School. We participate in all disaster relief efforts, and each year at the holidays, they donate gifts to people who would not have a Christmas otherwise. My daughter really enjoys putting together a gift box, picking out each item with great care and saying, “I would really like this, if I received it.” Then she gives all the things she liked away.
Go to www.familygivingtree.org and read. Up to speed? This organization makes sure that children who otherwise would have no Christmas at all get some presents this year. I always felt terribly sorry for poor kids, given the story of Santa Claus. I mean, they’re told they’ll get presents if they’re good. And if there’s no money to buy them, what can they extrapolate, year after year, except that they’re bad kids. That breaks my heart.
The Family Giving Tree helped over 68,000 kids last year, and this charity passes more than 90% of donations on to the children, which means I can get on board with it. This is going to be a different sort of contest, but if my readers are the people I think they are, then this will be one of the most commented posts of the year. I’m going to pick one lucky winner next Sunday, and I will donate on your behalf, so that seven kids have Christmas presents because of you.
So tell me what you’re doing to make the holidays better for someone else. Tell me how you’re trying to make the world a better place, even in a small, quiet way. How are you paying it forward? Sharing your blessings? Seven needy children will thank you for it.
November 25th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
I really would like my post to be anonymous because I am not writing about this to get anything. Here goes- I volunteered to help out a friend who’s been diagnosed with cancer the day after Thanksgiving to move many, many items from her apartment. I truly got my cardio in that day because her old place had a wicked, winding staircase with over a dozen steps. Because she couldn’t do much, I packed the stuff, trolled it out, jammed up her car, and unloaded everything when we got to her new house!! On Saturday, I spent the entire morning/afternoon at the local Borders wrapping gifts for people for donations. All the donations will be given to a food pantry/basic needs center. My friend called me today and I just returned home because I helped her move the last odds n ends plus her giant birdcage (with ten birdies chirping) to her new house. I’m tired but happy- isn’t that the true meaning of the holidays- no matter what your faith is- to help others, not expecting anything in return? If you do select my post, Ann, I want it not in my name, but my good friend, Marge, who had no one else to help her. Happy Holiday Season, Everyone!!
November 25th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Every year at work we sponsor a less fortunate family for Christmas instead of doing the usual Secret Santa or gift exchange. We buy clothes, toys and Christmas dinner.
And my family sponsors a child for the women’s inmate ministry at out local county jail. These are kids who’s mothers are incarcerated and have no father in the picture. There is a skating party and Santa visits and brings the presents. It is always so much fun and a true blessing to the children!
November 25th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
I do somewhat the same thing that Angie does, only I do it through my church. The church gives us the family and ages of the kids etc. and we go out and get gifts, food and whatever else we can think of
November 26th, 2007 at 2:12 am
Oh, I love this contest’s “booty!” My family and I always put together “creativity” kits (i.e. filling five, single pocket folders a set of colored markers, scissors, construction paper, sticker, and other creative odds and ends) for the local Toys for Tots drive. This year most all of my mom’s free time has been taken up by caring for her mom, so I’m trying to lighten *her* load by giving her regular breaks every week for evening visits to the nursing home.
November 26th, 2007 at 3:54 am
What a wonderful contest,I think it’s the best prize.
November 26th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
I would love to win this contest. I believe in giving back to the community, but I am in graduate school, and poor, and can’t afford to do much. One thing I do plan on doing is knitting some hats for charity. It’s a good way to use up my oddball skeins of yarn, and there’s a yarn store nearby that accepts and distributes donations, so I don’t even have to pay for shipping. I have also been visiting freerice.com when I can, which helps send food to the needy.
November 26th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
Wow, everyone, you guys are great. It’s wonderful to hear what you’re doing to make the holidays better for other people.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:16 am
What a cool contest that really gets to spirit of the season
During the Christmas season I normally make up shoe boxes filled with goodies for Operation Christmas Child for Samaritan’s Purse. I love decorating those shoe boxes and finding just the right things to go in them. It really gets me into the holiday spirit.
I also donate clothing to my local battered women and children’s shelter. I try to do it a couple times a year but around this time it seems I can get more people to add to my donation.
November 29th, 2007 at 7:30 am
what a great contest.We usually give good to the food bank and donations to our local ronald mcdonald house.
December 2nd, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I give to the church food banks and to the Salvation Army kettles.
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:44 pm
I do alot of volunteer work locally, and i too try to keep most of my donations local. This year at our church we had a food drive for the last month and every sunday we would take a sack of food to church with us. Then they were going to make up food baskets to distribute to local familys for a holiday meal.. it went over very well. My kids really liked getting involved in that. I also am the president of our local American Legion Aux. so we planned a visit to the veterans home and took goodies there too.. what a day they all had…
My husbands boss had a heart attack last night and had surgery today so i imagine i will be helping him somehow in the weeks to come, as hes single and no family around close…always lots going on in our house..My one annual tradition i look forward too is making up goodie bags of treats and toys to the humane society where i do foster care and animal rehab.. we always get lots of dog food and cat food, but i go buy a large variety of treats and toys that they dont usually get and they get their christmas eve treats…
for the last few years i have sent packages to friends in Iraq, but dont have anyone there right now, but hubbys on alert to head back so next year i imagine i will be back into that routine again…
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:58 pm
I’ve been collecting teddy bears of all shapes and sizes for the past 20+ years and they are all in brand new, never-played-with condition. My husband and I are trying to simplify our lives and home and getting rid of clutter. I just decided that I am going to donate all of my bears to either the police or fire dept. in our town to be used as comfort bears for kids who have been victims of fire or violence or simply don’t have toys to play with. It seems silly to keep them all lined up on shelves instead having some children to love them. The rest of the time I grow my hair for Locks of Love, who make wigs for children who don’t have hair. I get it cut every 2 years or when the ponytail part reaches 10 inches.
December 2nd, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Heya Ann — Every year we do five “angel tree kids” — that’s buying presents for kids in families without money to buy gifts. In our family we also don’t give gifts to each other, but do donations to charities of our choice, (my charity is actually animal oriented).
That’s our regular gig every year, plus various other little donations, like giving to the local food bank, ect.
This year we’re adding one more thing. We’re sending a box of clothes and toys to our daughter’s SWI (social welfare institute) in China, and we’re also sending a gift to the child we foster (financially) in China. We plan to make that a yearly holiday tradition from now on.
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:21 pm
I grew up without a whole lot of money and yet my parents always made sure I realized how truly lucky I was to have a home and food and a family who loved me.
My parents always did things all through the year, often anonymous projects to help people (food, clothing, housing assistance, help with vehicle maintenance, etc)and they still do.
So because I grew up that way and my husband as well, we really endeavor to help our kids understand what it means to be part of a community. All year long we participate in any number of projects from food drives to coat drives leading to the cold months and other things like household good drives. I still have a number of connections to my prior non-profit job so we have a few favorite projects we work with.
December 8th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
What we do is for the friends of my boys whose families are less fortunate and either can’t afford to have a family meal or the parent has to work or the parent just plain old doesn’t care to celebrate, we invite those wonderful boys into our home and share our meal with them and they generally spend the day here and we reheat up things for supper. They tend to enjoy it as they get full bellies, some Christmas cheer, and a warm and comforting place to celebrate.