The Spirit of Christmas

Today, The Peanut and I went to the local WalMart to get a new microwave oven.

Ours died an ugly and smelly wiring death earlier in the week, and life just wasn't the same without my ability to make easy movie popcorn in the popper we use to make it fresh in the microwave.  And so, off we went to the belly of the Christmas shopping frenzied beast.

We got there just as the Salvation Army folks were finishing their annual "shopping spree" event with young children who get to come and shop with a parent for a couple of items.  It was crowded, but really, really fun to see how thrilled these little kids were to get a baby doll or a tea set...the sort of thing we take for granted at our house because we can afford it for The Peanut without worrying about how to then pay for a meal or medicine or something else.

We are lucky.

But we had also gone to the store for another purpose:  this year, we wanted to help someone in need to pay off their Christmas layaway.

We were hoping to find a family that needed a little help or some other way to help out.  So I took The Peanut with me to the layaway counter, and the clerk asked us to pick a letter of the alphabet, and they found an account that had a little over $200 remaining on it to be paid before Christmas...and a lot of toys for little kids on it.

So we paid it off right then and there, and got to stand by while they called the mom whose account it was to let her know they could come and pick up all their toys.  It was really wonderful...as it turned out, she didn't know where she was going to scrape together the money to pay the remainder, so I'm really glad we ended up doing that particular family.


It was anonymous, so they'll have no idea we did this.  And we have no idea who it was that we helped.  We just know she sure sounded happy based on what the clerk told us after the call, and that made us awfully happy, too.

Mr. ReddHedd and I talked about doing this yesterday, and making sure The Peanut got to help with it.  Next year, we want to do a little more hands on volunteering so she starts putting real people's faces and problems to our constant reminders that we all need to help one another.  But we thought this was a nice way to do something in addition to the stockings we stuff with goodies every year for the Salvation Army toy drive.

What kinds of things do you do in your community to help out with the true spirit of Christmas?  I'd love some more ideas, as we are always trying to find ways to bring the lesson home of "do unto others" for The Peanut.

PS -- I got an e-mail asking about the microwave popcorn popper we use -- it is this one by Presto.  I absolutely love it.  Freshly popped, real popcorn without all the chemically taste?  I am so there!)

(Photo from our own Christmas tree ornaments by Christy Hardin Smith.)