Christmas is, instead of right around the corner, at the corner
My Christmas moment for 2017 happened Saturday, 12/16/17
At the outreach Department, we take requests for toys from needy parish members parents. We had about fifty families request assistance.
Another event occurred in our working area on Sunday,12/17 and Monday, 12/18.
On Tuesday, 12/19, we separated all donated toys into groups, newborn, one year old, etc up to boys and girls fourteen to sixteen years old. For two more days we took each request sheet with names, ages and sex of children and placed all their toys in a big black bag, with the family name, so the parent could take them home and wrap them..
We received seven new bikes of assorted size.
We designated the bikes for specific aged children. We placed the family name on each bike. All gifts were behind a curtained off area.
I was the first greeter of these folks. Myself and Germaine another volunteer, looked at parents credentials and acknowledged that all was in order.
About halfway through the distribution, I spoke with a Mom, I'll call her Mrs. Jones. She had her almost four year old girl and ten month old boy, in his stroller, with her. (We strongly suggest no children come along that day, so they will be surprised...but...)
This little girl is very shy and when they come to get bread at our pantry, the little girl, I'll call her Mary, hides behind Mrs. Jones' skirt and rarely smiles.
I told Mrs. Jones that we had a B I K E for Mary, Was that OK? Mom said yes.
I asked Mary to sit with me so Mom could talk to the other workers about Santa Claus things. I tried to keep her attention on me.
One of the workers and Mom walked out, the worker carrying the pink bike.
Mary's eyes popped more open. She took a breath and held it.
Three other mothers hurried around Mary to distract her while Mom and our worker hid the pink bike in a car.
THAT IS CHRISTMAS
My Christmas moment for 2017 happened Saturday, 12/16/17
At the outreach Department, we take requests for toys from needy parish members parents. We had about fifty families request assistance.
Another event occurred in our working area on Sunday,12/17 and Monday, 12/18.
On Tuesday, 12/19, we separated all donated toys into groups, newborn, one year old, etc up to boys and girls fourteen to sixteen years old. For two more days we took each request sheet with names, ages and sex of children and placed all their toys in a big black bag, with the family name, so the parent could take them home and wrap them..
We received seven new bikes of assorted size.
We designated the bikes for specific aged children. We placed the family name on each bike. All gifts were behind a curtained off area.
I was the first greeter of these folks. Myself and Germaine another volunteer, looked at parents credentials and acknowledged that all was in order.
About halfway through the distribution, I spoke with a Mom, I'll call her Mrs. Jones. She had her almost four year old girl and ten month old boy, in his stroller, with her. (We strongly suggest no children come along that day, so they will be surprised...but...)
This little girl is very shy and when they come to get bread at our pantry, the little girl, I'll call her Mary, hides behind Mrs. Jones' skirt and rarely smiles.
I told Mrs. Jones that we had a B I K E for Mary, Was that OK? Mom said yes.
I asked Mary to sit with me so Mom could talk to the other workers about Santa Claus things. I tried to keep her attention on me.
One of the workers and Mom walked out, the worker carrying the pink bike.
Mary's eyes popped more open. She took a breath and held it.
Three other mothers hurried around Mary to distract her while Mom and our worker hid the pink bike in a car.
THAT IS CHRISTMAS