Christmas spirit

I went to walmart tonight to trade in a "pair" of shoes. I put quotation marks around the word pair because it was actually two left shoes :P

While I was standing in line in customer service I noticed the boxes for the "angel tree" presents.

I am not very familiar with the Angel Tree program, but from what I understand the first names, ages and "interests" of needy children are put on cards then those cards are put on Christmas trees. A person would pick a card, buy items for this child and then leave the items in the designated "drop-off" location.

Tonight I was standing right next to said location. I looked over and there were two huge boxes, one of them packed full of toys. It really warmed my heart to see so many people who reached out and made a difference for these families.

Now that I am a parent I understand how it feels to face a Christmas without presents. You don't mind for yourself but it really feels terrible for your children. Luckily for us things worked out and we will be able to get some things for the girls, but it isn't always that way.

I'll admit I have been skeptical about programs like this in the past. Thinking "There are homeless people on the street, and we are worried about kids not having new toys. Geez." Sounds mean I know, but that's what I thought. I didn't think it was THAT important to give kids presents on a holiday that shouldn't be about presents anyways, but that has changed.

I don't know all of the reasons God has put my family through the things we are going through, but it has changed the way I think about a lot of things and that has to be some of it.

I've not been looking forward to Christmas. I've not been feeling the "Christmas spirit" ever since we got the letter saying we had to leave our house. I've not been depressed, after the first few days I've not cried, but I've been....to quote Pink Floyd...comfortabl....you know, I don't have to finish that, you know, lol, but tonight standing there looking at that box overflowing with love for and from strangers, I felt it. I remembered that indeed, Christmas is not about the presents, for some people it is not about even about Jesus, but universally Christmas is about love. It's about being with family and friends, sharing what little bit we have with everyone else and embracing our neighbors.

Christmas spirit doesn't come from a store, but tonight that is where I found it. I pray that every person participating the the Angel Tree program is blessed 10x what they gave and that every family touched by that program is blessed the same. I encourage you to find a way to give that love sometime this Christmas season, you never know how it will affect someone.

“Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more!” -Dr. Suess (How the Grinch Stole Christmas)