Wednesday, December 10, 2008

A Humble Christmas Wish List.

As I have mentioned on this blog ... I aspire to be a better "giver" ... in any way possible ... not only because it is good for the community, my son, the planet, etc ... but mostly because it feels so darn good.

After much thought on how my family and I might "give" on Christmas day, I decided to place a call to our local Maine Veterans Home. I pitched an idea to Shirley, their activities coordinator, to visit with residents there who would otherwise not be receiving Christmas Day visitors. Shirley was most receptive and said that our visit would fulfill a great need at the home, as much of the community visits the home during Veterans holidays but not during the Christmas season. I then asked Shirley if she could compile a list of the residents that we could visit along with their holiday wishes from "Santa". She did. And when I received it, I was most humbled by it.

Here it is:

Mr ___ wants a 6-pack of O'Douls.
Mr ___ wants a Red Sox sweatshirt.
Mrs ___ wants a pair of size 8 slacks.
Mr ___ wants some hard candy.
Mr ___ wants 2 black t-shirts.
Mr ___ wants some cheesy snacks.
Mr ___ wants tube socks.
Mr ___ also wants a 6-pack of O'Douls.

Wow. So simple. So sweet. And I cannot wait to play Santa for these folks on Christmas Day. What a gift for my family ... to be able to meet the humble Christmas wishes of those in our community who have served their country. I think I am way more excited for this visit than for any other part of Christmas.

I have purchased a few other treats for those on the list (blankets, soaps, etc) and would welcome any other goodies that my local friends would like to contribute. But more than that, I wish to encourage others to make similar efforts in their own communities. It is amazing to me how many people are in need of a friendly word and deed ... and how easy it is for many of us to fulfill that need ... with a bit of effort and a smile. I encourage you, the reader of this post, to make a phone call today to see how you might be able to make Christmas (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, or Winter Solstice) brighter for a fellow human being (or two or three). After all, that is what the holiday season is all about, isn't it?

If you do so, please comment here about your efforts. Let's inspire one another!

Much Love,
Jodi

7 comments:

JGeary said...

Jodi,
What a great idea...and what a little thing money-wise and time-wise to make an impact in others lives! My other mommy friends and I are meeting tomorrow night and making the simple no-sew fleece blankets (which anyone can do!) to donate to the pediatric ward. Many children will be spending their holidays in the hospital as will their families and many of those families are drained emotionally and financially, so it is a small thing to do to try to make a little impact in their lives. Thank you for this post. It truly does personify giving and the meaning of the season! All my best to you,
Jillaine

Kelly said...

Oh Jodi,
Just fabulous :)
Thanks for sharing this bit of joy ~ we'll place a call tomorrow down this way and see what we can do ~ thanks for the inspriration!
xo

mamaraby said...

What a great idea! I'll have to look in the yellow pages since we're new to the area and see what we can come up with. Our Advent project is going to be making shoeboxes for the homeless - it's a project that our local food pantry does.

Perla said...

What a fantastic idea, Jodi! I'm so glad you wrote this because I have arranged for us to go sing carols at a similar facility and am going to take cookies but you have inspired me to definitely do much more. i am going to contact them to see which ones won't be having visitors on Christmas and will see what more we can do!!! Thanks for your inspiration.

Kait said...

Oh Jodi that list made me cry. I can't imagine being so alone on the holidays and wanting something so basic as tee shirts or cheesy snacks.

Jodi Renshaw said...

Wow, thank you all for your comments and inspiration. Seems that many of you are already thinking about what you can do for others during the holidays. How wonderful. I so look forward to sharing the joys of our upcoming Christmas visit to the veterans home.

Keep the comments & inspiration coming :)

And Kait, I totally understand how you feel. Beautiful and humbling, isn't it?

Love,
Jodi

Anonymous said...

These things are the reason I married you Babe! You do inspire me as well ;) I love more each day!
Me