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Spread some holiday cheer thread

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by murphyc, Dec 21, 2013.

  1. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    Here's a thread for your good holiday news, a great gift you're getting/have gotten, a kind act you've done for others, something nice you witnessed someone else do, etc.

    I'll start off. Today, after a wait of 19 months, my wife and I got the final paperwork for the adoption of our son.
     
  2. old_tony

    old_tony Well-Known Member

    That is a great start to this thread. Congratulations!
     
  3. Frank_Ridgeway

    Frank_Ridgeway Well-Known Member

    Congratulations.

    Once again, for probably the 15th straight year or thereabouts, I avoided the malls or any mall-like groupings or any big-box stores and all the rotten fuckers that go there. Not that there aren't rotten fuckers in downtowns or online.
     
  4. 3_Octave_Fart

    3_Octave_Fart Well-Known Member

    Donation to typhoon relief.
     
  5. Vombatus

    Vombatus Well-Known Member

    I've avoided the malls too. I did the bulk of my shopping at the National Cathedral's Gift Shop and Herb Cottage on Friday. I prefer to shop with at least a little bit of peace. You can get some neat items, including arts and crafts stuff there.

    Capped the day off with a visit to the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse.
     
  6. Small Town Guy

    Small Town Guy Well-Known Member

    My wife found a wallet in a taxi Friday. Belonged to a 23-year-old. Had 400 bucks cash, Social Security card, credit cards and a rubber. We googled his name and finally found a site that had a picture that looked like the kid in the license and his email. Wrote to him but didn't hear anything until Saturday morning when he sent 6 messages in about a minute. He took subway up to us and I brought it down to him and he was overjoyed; wanted to give us some money but no need. I told him how years ago my wife left her wallet in a taxi and it had about a thousand dollars cash in it and she didn't get it back. And how a month or so after I moved to NYC I lost mine. Ran frantically up and down the street and finally saw a group of four or five guys waving at me. They had found it. Barely spoke English but they were on the phone calling someone whose business card I had in it, trying to get ahold of someone who knew me and I was so grateful. Felt good to help someone on Christmas, even if it was luck.
     
  7. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Smoked turkey at 5 if anyone is hungry. Because of a zillion obligations everyone has, today is our Christmas.
     
  8. Iron_chet

    Iron_chet Well-Known Member

    A few years ago my wife and I swayed everyone over to adopting a family for Christmas rather than exchanging gifts with all the sister and brother in laws. I think they may have tired of me always putting a list of charities on my wish list.

    This year everyone bailed but my wife and kids and I still adopted a family. Single mother with 3 kids. On Sunday we dropped the gifts and gift cards off, my wife and I were on a high the rest of the day, felt great to do something nice for someone on such a personal level.
     
  9. JackReacher

    JackReacher Well-Known Member

    Nice work, chet. We did that last year, although it was just one person, not an entire family. This year, we helped out at one of the local homeless food drives. Bagged up food for an hour or so, then handed it out for another couple hours. It was actually pretty hard work, but well worth it. We don't do that often enough. There are some really, really good people out there doing great things.
     
  10. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    We did that with my in-laws this year. They divide the big gathering between one with my MIL and one with her sister. At one of them we gave food and gifts to a needy family. At the other we collected cash for a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project. Instead of swapping gifts, we had food and swapped stories, laughed and generally had a good time. The absence of gift-giving pressure was quite nice.

    Handed out baked goods to my co-workers this morning. Counteracts the times when I feel like a lousy person.
     
  11. heyabbott

    heyabbott Well-Known Member

    So very happy for you and your family. Mazel Tov and Bless you.
     
  12. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    small town and chet, those are cool stories. Thanks for sharing them.
    The last few years, we've gone around on Christmas day giving out plates of cookies. The first time, we randomly selected friends and delivered the cookies. If they were home, my son in his little Santa hat handed them the cookies. If they weren't home, we left the cookies on the step. The next year we also took cookies to the five fire stations in our town, plus the police department. Last year we did just the fire stations and police department.
    The first fire station, the firefighters asked my son if he wanted to turn on the lights or the siren. He was a bit shy and reluctant. By the time we got to the last station, he was quickly handing off the cookies and marching right to the engine bay.
    We're hoping it plants the idea of giving to others in his head, whether it be to friends, those who serve the community or anyone else. Plus, it just feels good. Seeing the reaction from others is priceless.
     
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