The Magic of Santa - 2024 Santa Project Recap

Mailing their letters to Santa!

You know an event has become a community staple when participants “graduate”. 

2024 was year 5 of the Santa Project, and some kids who have written letters in previous years graduated to “see behind the curtain” and help out with the magic. 

Two kids who have written letters and gotten gifts in previous years volunteered as wrappers.  And one family totally turned the tables – 2 of the kids came to the Countdown Calendar to get treats as we were nearing the closing of the Santa writing desk.  I reminded them to get their letters turned in soon because they needed to get to the North Pole in time.  They understood the urgency and said they would write them that evening.  A couple of hours later, the parents surprised me by reaching out to ask how the family could help.  Instead of writing, they wanted to give.  They “adopted” a family of letter writers and the kids helped shop to grant the wishes and wrap the presents.  Perfect!

Another sweet letter writer showed up at our door the afternoon we were frantically preparing for the community caroling event.  “Hi, I am here to help.  Not to SING, but to help,” the tween announced.  I panicked…  Our living room was full of gifts from Santa, and if I allowed this child into our home, she would see it all and it would spoil the magic.  On the other hand…  I was totally overwhelmed and needed to get things ready for caroling…

“Oh great!” I told her, frantically trying to figure out what to say as I stood in the doorway to block sight of the room full of presents.  “Ummm, uhhh, how do you, ummm, feel about SANTA??” I asked awkwardly.

“Ummm, I like him…” she said…

I stared at her.  She stared back.

“I mean, ummm, I don’t believe in him, but I like him and all.  I would never ruin the magic for anyone else who believes in him,” she clarified.

Well my friend, COME ON IN AND STIR THIS TWO HUGE POTS OF HOT COCOA FOR ME, PLEASE!

As she stirred and I put song sheet packets together, she explained that she wrote a letter to Santa because her dad told her to 😊 .  And because her little brother is a believer.

We also had a kid try to debunk the Santa “myth” very loudly this year while visiting the Countdown Calendar.  The oldest child had somehow learned or decided that Santa was not real.  However, the youngest child is a strong believer in the magic.  I didn’t know that the eldest had “found out” but I knew he hadn’t written a letter, so I prodded him.  “Hey, did you write a letter to Santa this year?” I asked when the family came to get their Countdown Calendar treats and pick up the youngest’s present from under the tree.

“Oh, Miss Suuuusan,” he said with a roll of his big beautiful eyes.  “Santa isn’t REALLL.  I am not going to write him, because he is make-believe,” he said far too loud to just be telling ME, but obviously trying to get the hint to his little sister, too.

I panicked!!  Do not spoil the magic right here on my front porch, kid!!! 

Luckily the Countdown Calendar was in the perfect spot.  His sister on one side of the calendar, very engaged in scouring gifts under the tree to see if there was one with her name on it.  The parents were on the other side of the calendar.  And lucky for all of us, we share a common language of American Sign Language!  I quickly signed to them, “HE IS SAYING THAT SANTA IS NOT REAL!  AND HE IS SAYING IT LOUDLY!!”. 

They joined in my panic. 

They pulled the little boy onto the other side of the calendar to give him a stern look and a “shhhhhhhhhh” warning.

But…  The magic was happening…

Because you see, under the tree, little sister found a gift addressed to her BROTHER…  Yes, Santa had delivered a gift for him, even without a letter! 

“Hey!!  HEY!!!” she exclaimed very loudly.  “LOOOOK!  LOOK!  COME HERE!  He brought you one!  He brought you one!  Even though you didn’t write him a letter, he brought you a gift!!!!” she squealed.

The once rolling eyes now darted to the tree.  Proud little sister held up the gift – “LOOK!!!”.

Well now, that certainly made it hard not to believe, didn’t it?

The mom messaged me later saying: “We started to talk to him about Santa for his sister, but then by Christmas Eve he was so excited and was writing a letter to Santa Claus and helping get everything set up… So, we looked at each other and said, “Maybe tell him later/for next year”. Christmas morning he was fine, so excited and still believing/believable. Here’s a letter about your gift ! Thank you again!!!”

 

Last minute scramble - letter to Santa on Christmas Eve

P.S. - I put together the Lego kit you brought me
early so you could see it :) 

So, we eeked out another year with that kid. 

 

One of the instructions included on the letter writing desk asks that children include the name and contact info for an adult in their life.  But every year some people miss that bit and mail letters with just their name, wish list, and address.  In years past, we have been too busy and overwhelmed to deliver those gifts ourselves so have relied on kind volunteers to do that.  But this year we took time to bring the presents to the addresses, and boy am I glad we did.  It was amazing!

 

Two siblings wrote letters to Santa and included only an address.  The girl had not only asked for a gift for herself, but asked if Santa Claus might also, “Bring something my mom and dad would like to surprise them”.  I could tell from the tone of the very long letter that this child was testing the waters…  They were not sure if Santa was real and were laying down some challenges to see if he could pass muster.  (For example, she asked Santa sneak into her room and take a picture of her sleeping in her bed, print it using the dad’s printer, and leave it for her to see in the morning…  That request was tricky (and funny) on so many levels…)*

Anyway, Santa wrote reply letters to both children and also got gifts for the mom and dad (as much (if not more) to help extend the belief in the magic for the child as to give the adults something).  He wrote a letter to the parents too, of course 😊 .

 

But the address listed was an APARTMENT…  With a locked front door…  David and I drove over one evening with our car full of gifts but could not get inside since the keypad thing didn’t work and no one was coming or going.  We tried again the next day, hoping to see a resident arrive or leave so we could tailgate them.  It worked!

 

We got in the elevator with the presents and headed to the apartment.  Knocked – no answer.  Knocked again – no answer.  We thought we may have failed on the second attempt.

 

But no.  Our patience in knocking and waiting paid off because after a bit, the mamma opened the door. 

 

Turns out she was home alone so was hesitant to answer the door.  She saw our arms loaded with gifts through the peep hole, opened the door, looked surprised, and gestured for us to come in.  We tried to explain the situation but our Spanish is not great.  She seemed to understand and excused herself to make a phone call.  “Coming!” she told us after she hung up.

 

We chatted a bit as we waited.  Admired their sweet Christmas tree.  She apologized for the state of the apartment (which looked good to us) and her English (which was way better than our Spanish).  Finally, after about 10 uncomfortable minutes, the door opened.

 

The brother and sister letter writers appeared and smiled when they saw the presents.  “Hi!  It seems like Santa may have delivered your gifts to our house!  Are one of you named GIA?” we asked. 

 

The little girl got excited.  “Yes!!  I am Gia!!” and we handed her her gifts.

 

“And is someone here named Matheo??” we questioned.

 

The boy raised his hand and Gia pointed, “HIM!”.

 

We gave him his gifts.

 

And that left one pretty box in our arms.

 

“Well, this is odd…” we said.  “It looks like there is one here for GIA’S PARENTS??  Did you write to Santa??” we asked the parents.

 

And little Gia’s eye LIT UP. 

 

“NO!  I did!  I asked for him to bring gifts for my parents!!!” she exclaimed delightedly.

 

It.  Was.  Magic.

 

All 4 family members had stunned grins on their faces.  They thanked us and we said our goodbyes.  I hope Santa did well at picking out things for the parents.  As he wrote in the letter to them: 

 

“Dear Gia’s Mom and Dad,

 

Hi – Santa here. 

 

I am not sure if you know this, but Gia snuck in a wish for YOU two in the Christmas letter that she sent me.  Yes, that little cutie asked me to bring something that you like to “surprise my mom and dad”. 

 

Only, it’s been so long since I have had a letter from you, I am not really sure what it is you like these days.  Awkward…

 

Mom – I went through a lot of things trying to decide what to bring.  A bag of sugar?  No – heavy for the sleigh, and really you could just pick that up at the grocery store.  A Lego set?  The ones with the flowers are really pretty, but I wasn’t sure if you had time to sit down and do Lego…  A pair of earrings!  But then Mrs. Claus reminded me that I don’t know if you have pierced ears or not…

 

So, I settled on this.  I hope you like it. 

 

Dad – same for you.  I wracked my brain thinking of the perfect gift to surprise you.  Bowling shoes were my first choice!  I love bowling.  But what size??  Then I considered a book – but what if I chose one you had already read?  I considered a skateboard…  But I didn’t really want to be responsible if you happened to fall and break a leg (you know how that goes). 

 

So, I settled on THIS.  It’s not much, but it is useful.  And fun.  Plus, it is something you can share with Gia, who started this whole thing anyway by writing to me.

 

But I guess what I am here to say is this:  your real gift is your daughter. 

 

A kid so amazing that she asked for something for YOU for Christmas.  She is one in a million, that kid.  You are raising her right.  She is lucky to have you (and vice versa, of course).

 

Enjoy your gifts.  And hey – don’t be a stranger.  I would love to hear what you have been up to the last couple of decades.”

 

We delivered gifts to another family, too.  This address was close enough to walk to, so one dark night we pulled on our winter gear, loaded up a wagon with gifts for not 2, not 3, but SEVEN kids and headed out into the cold.

 

The home was tiny and we could see a Christmas tree through a very foggy picture window.  David knocked on the door and I stayed in the driveway with the wagon full of presents.

 

An adult answered and David asked for one of the children by name.  He quickly came to the door and David explained that for some reason Santa had delivered the family’s gifts to our home and we were here to make sure they got them. 

 

One little girl held the door open as one by one I handed David a gift and he called out for the recipient.  There were giggles and cheers as each person received their present.

 

I had heard someone call the girl who was holding the door open by name so held her gift for last to up the suspense.  When it was finally her turn, oh was she excited.  They thanked us and as the door closed you could hear the celebration and see the joy through the big dripping window.  We felt like we were in a Hallmark movie.  It was perfect.

 

Oh, there are so many stories I could share.  The child who showed up about 3 days before Christmas and put his letter in a cubby of the Countdown Calendar, letting Santa know not only was it Christmas coming up, but his birthday, too.  The kids who asked for world peace.  The neighbor who scored a Barbie Dream House on Black Friday and donated it, allowing us to grant a wish that was way over budget for a child who has a very hard life.  The many, MANY donors all around the country who ordered soooo many presents from wish lists.  The lovely family (led by an amazing patriarch) who once again reached out and got involved in a major way.  The woman in her 40s who had a very rough childhood and had never once gotten a gift from Santa (spoiler alert – Santa made up for it this year).  The newborn babies who got presents and their mothers reached out to say thank you and saying how much they cried at reading Santa’s letters.  The child who asked for green slippers and was delighted that they “make him taller”.  So.  Many.  Stories.

 

A very happy gift recipient

The Santa Project is a labor of love.  It consumes well over a month of my life.  It is exhausting, sometimes frustrating, but ever so rewarding. 

THANK YOU to the children who believe.

THANK YOU to the volunteers who wrap.

THANK YOU to the neighbors who bring over casseroles and cookies and wine to ensure we are eating (and drinking) during the process.

THANK YOU to the amazing friend who translates letters and contacts parents that I cannot communicate easily with.

THANK YOU to the kind humans who support the project by donating gifts. 

Without all of you, this could not happen. 

It truly takes a village.  And as I am so often reminded, I sure ended up in a great one.

Happy holidays. 

May the magic of the season stay in our hearts year-round.

 

All together 221 letters to Santa were mailed to the North Pole (via our house) in 2024.  As always, there were some funny ones, some confusing ones, and some that made me tear up.  Each of those letters received a custom reply from Santa, along with a beautifully wrapped gift/gifts. 

Just a fraction of the many, many gifts Santa brought

To me, the Santa Project (and everything else Kindness Activist does) is not about the numbers.  It is about the magic.  But I understand that statistics are important so will share them here:

·      221 letters to Santa

·      512 packages wrapped (many kids get multiple gifts, all follow the same budget)

·      30 amazingly kind volunteer elves wrapped presents

·      106.5 hours of wrapping took place

·      Approximately $9,250 spent in total (including wrapping supplies, paper, envelopes, and ink for letters)

·      Of that, $1853.30 was funded by Kindness Activist, the rest by amazing donors

·      I have no idea how many hours of Santa letter writing, online shopping,  online registry making, and pacing I did this year

·      And countless hours of love and support from my main elf, David

Santa gets lots of great artwork every year

  

Here are some comments on the 2024 project:

“Thank you for the thoughtful gifts.  The girls were jumping up and down and squealing with delight.”

“THANK YOU SANTA!!!” – shouted at the sky, arms flung open wide, by a 4 year old child after she opened her gift on our front steps

“Thank you for bringing such magic into our lives. We cherish the Santa letters and, most of all, I cherish your friendship, kindness, and love that you’ve shared with us over the years. You truly are a bright light to even the darkest situations and make the world a better place.”

“The kids were beyond excited to open their Santa gifts this evening! Thank you so much for bringing so much joy to our families and so many others these past three years.  We read your letters from the past couple years which we saved in our book, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and the boys were giggling at the memories.” 

“This was a very special morning for both children. Thank you so much!”

“Dear Santa, while I was reading your letter I remembered again that little girl who deep down is still inside me. And sometimes I forget some things. I cried. When I read this letter, I cried like I did when I was a little girl. The difference is that this time I was a happy little girl. I am sure that I will carry that with me every day that God gives me in life. Thank you very much, I have been so happy. Like a little girl again.  Thank you very much for everything. And my loves are very happy with the gifts. You are angels in our lives. May God always take care of you.”

“Thank you for bringing so much joy to our family and so many others.”

“I just wanted to express my heartfelt thanks for everything you have done for my daughter, for me, and for all those you have graciously assisted in bringing gifts from Santa Claus.  Thank you thank you, thank you for all that you do!  Sending you lots of love and hugs.” 

 

*In case you are curious, this is how Santa responded to the request to sneak into a child’s bedroom, take a photo of said child sleeping, print it on the father’s computer, and leave it for the child to see the next morning:

“Now – to your request about taking a photo of you and printing it out.  As a rule, I try not to disturb children as they sleep.  After all, I do not want to wake them.  If they would wake up when they hear me opening their bedroom door, or hear the camera take the picture, then I would have to stay for an hour or two chatting.  And honestly, Christmas Eve is just soooo busy that I don’t have time for that you know?  I tell you what.  IF I am running early (and that is very, very, very, very, very, very rare) on Christmas Eve, I will take a photo.  I am not sure I know how to work your dad’s printer, but if I take the picture I shall try.  But please do not get upset if you do not see a picture of you sleeping because, like I said, I can only try to do it if the weather has been perfect and gift deliveries in Australia, New Zealand, and several other countries I visit before the United States of America go perfectly (which rarely happens).”

 

This is a piece I wrote and published earlier about a child who shared graciously their gift with me:

Every family does the holidays differently.

In the same way, every family utilizes the Santa Project differently.

Some parents sneak over and get the gifts for their kids then hide them away until Christmas morning, where they magically appear under their tree.

Other kids open them in the car after they pick them up.

And a FEW kids sit down right on our porch and rip into them.

That's happened with 3 children this year and it is magical.

Today it was Gianni. He isn't a child we know - doesn't come to our house often. But what a kind, gentle kid!! He was soooo excited.

First, he saw the candy cane on top of one of his gifts. Well, that in and of itself was a win.

Then he opened the bubble gum making kit he had asked for. Such delight! "I got watermelon!! And orange!!" he said happily as he announced the flavors on the package.

His letter from Santa was on that first box he opened, so he paused in ripping off wrapping paper to listen to his mom read it. He answered Santa's questions out loud as mom read them.

When Santa got to the part about the Chupa Chups Melody Pop he had asked for, oh did he get excited. You could see the wheels in his tiny head turning - "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness - one of these other wrapped boxes must have a Chupa Chups Melody Pop in it!!" you could see his brain whirring.

Then the letter from Santa said this: "I looked at your list and it made me smile. You see, I like Chupa Chupa melody pop candy, too! Not only does it TASTE GOOD, it SOUNDS GOOD, too! Double the fun, right? I was going to put one Chupa melody pop in with your present, but then I got to thinking: if I like these things, and Gianni likes these things, maybe Gianni’s friends like these things, too… So, instead of just giving you one for you to enjoy, I told the elves, “Let’s give him some for his friends, too!!”. So please understand, some of these are to share. Of course, some are for YOU, it is your gift after all. But please do not eat allllll of them Gianni. That would make your tummy hurt!"

And he squealed with delight. THERE WAS GOING TO BE MORE THAN ONE CHUPA CHUPS!! He ripped into the next package. Nope - not candy - this one was invisible ink...

Last package. The suspense was mounting... Paper off...

Wait - what is that peeking out the top of the box?? HE RECOGNIZED THE STICK OF THE POPS!!

He opened that little box to find not 1, not 2, but I think 15 Chupa Chups Melody Pops. "Gianni, do you have friends? Cuz you have a lot of these to share!!" I asked him. He assured me that he does indeed have buddies.

I laughed with him and asked how the melody pops work as he looked through to see the flavors he got.

Then he said, in his quiet little voice, "Do you want one??".

 

He was sharing with ME. I had to ask him to repeat because I thought I must've misheard him over the traffic.

"Do you want one???".

SURE!

He gave me one and I started unwrapping it.

"Here - I'll help!" he said as he took it from me.

His tiny hands worked hard to get the wrapper off. Then his tiny hands were on my lollipop. But I didn't care. Germs be damned, Gianni was sharing his Christmas gift with ME. What an honor.

He showed me how to do it and I whistled and tooted a bit. Then other kids came up for gifts and countdown calendar treats, and a pantry guest arrived that needed food for him and his friend (both living outside in the frigid winter air). It was time for me to get back to work.

I didn't get to thank you, Gianni.

But THANK YOU. Your gift of a Melody Pop was much bigger than you could ever imagine. You shared your joy. You let me witness your wonder. Magic.

Countdown to FUN (and Tradition!)

Like many people, our holiday season is filled with cheer.  And it is filled with the sounds of the holidays - the sounds of giggles and excitement, the sounds of wrapping paper ripping…

But unlike most people, our season is also filled with different sounds. It is filled with:

-         The sounds of footsteps going up and down our wooden steps

-         The sounds of adults patiently explaining colors and shapes and numbers   to children

-         And last but most common – the sounds of small, oddly shaped wooden doors opening and closing and opening and closing and opening and closing…

Those are the sounds of our season, because everyday between December 1^st – December 24^th, our porch is filled with visitors for a special event.

From morning til nighttime, people stream onto our porch to make their daily visit to the life-size COUNTDOWN CALENDAR.  And each day, behind a brightly colored numbered door, they find a special treat.  Some days it is candy, other days a small toy.  But every day it is something, and every day is filled with the anticipation of what they will find.

The Countdown Calendar has become a tradition in our neighborhood.  Like so many of our projects, it started with a wild idea and has become a community staple.  I envisioned the calendar and David designed and built it with love (measuring many, many times to get it just right). We are not sure how many Christmases we have celebrated with it, but we have also used the calendar to count down to other special events – an election, Valentine’s Day, an inauguration, Eid Al-Fitr…  At Kindness Activist we believe you can countdown to anything!

And it is so FUN!  Many visitors come every day to make sure they don’t miss a treat.  We average 55 – 65 visitors a day.  Some days the gifts are wrapped, making them extra special!!  This year 13 neighbors volunteered to wrap gifts ranging from movie theater size boxes of candy to balls filled with slime to honey sticks to wind up walking toys and more.  We have at least 50 “main treats” per day and plenty of back-up treats for overflow, because on nice weather days upwards of 70 people come.

The Countdown Calendar is good for the community in so many ways.

-         Seeing the brightly colored contraption on our porch signals the start of the holiday season

-         It gives kids and families a destination to go to every day

-         It helps teach shapes, numbers, and colors!  I can’t count the number of times in December I found myself out on the porch talking to toddlers saying things like, “Oh!  Today is day 5.  It is a YELLOW door with a RED handle.  It is shaped like a TRIANGLE (gesturing drawing a triangle in the air).  With enough patience and time those kids can find it independently.

-         It is an excuse for visitors to get out into the fresh air each day

-         It provides a build up to the “main events” of the month

-         It provides exercise for many guests who bike or walk over

-         It introduces passersby to Kindness Activist and our work (it often draws in curious strangers, especially at night when the light is shining on the bright colors)

-         It is a reward for some families – if the child has good behavior for the day, they get to come to the calendar

-         And finally, the most obvious – it gives people a special treat each day!

The Countdown Calendar might look like an easy task, but it is actually a huge undertaking.  Because it happens at the same time as the Santa Project, I have learned to prepare way in advance!  This year we started shopping for treats just before Halloween, and kind neighbors wrapped and returned gifts to be used mid-November.

Wrapped calendar gifts waiting for their day to shine!

The hardest part of the project is keeping the calendar stocked.  We only put out a few treats at a time for fear a visitor will break the golden rule and take more than one (I am looking at you, middle school kids walking past after school…).  Each time the treats run out we need to put in more.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed.  Kids who come every year know that if they find the cubby of the day empty, they are welcome to knock on the door and let us know (let’s just say we get a lot of knocks and doorbell rings during those 24 days…). 

But even though it is a lot of work, I love doing this project!  Kids are so happy to get a little treat!!  One special friend is a lover of chocolate and young enough to be delighted by everything in life.  To see his eyes shine and hear him squeal, “IT IS CHOCOLATE!” when opening a Hershey kiss one night was hilariously magical.  And the manners!  Oh my goodness, we hear so many, “Thank you Mr. David!” and “Thank you Miss Susan” s all month – so sweet.

My chocolate loving friend John and I made a little video in 2023 of how the calendar works.  You can find that here:  Countdown to Christmas

I have written a short blog about the Countdown Calendar before – here is a link to that piece: The Sounds of the Season

We won’t be counting down to anything super soon as now is time to rest.  But I can promise you this – if you ever pass by the Big Yellow House and see this brightly colored contraption on the porch, STOP BY.  Because you never know what you will find behind today’s door…

THANKS CUBE SMART!  Because of your kindness, the
Countdown Calendar

                                               can be safely stored until the next occasion

Kindness Activist funds spent on the 2024 Countdown Calendar - $768.82

Daily spend for the 24 days - $32.03

Average spend per person per day - .58 cents (using an average of 55 visitors per day)

Magical impact – immeasurable

(photos shared with parental permission)

Hugs of Kindness

Sometimes it seems like I end up at the “right place at the perfect time” an awful lot.

But I got to thinking about it the other night, and I came to this conclusion:

It is not that I end up at the right place at the perfect time any more than other people, it may just be that I notice it more than others.  I have my receptors in tune.  I have, as I like to think of it, my eyes open and my heart open.  And when that happens, well, you can find yourself in some amazing situations.

The one I want to share with you now is from Christmas Eve.  My partner David and I were doing last minute grocery shopping.  We had been far too busy with the Santa Project to think of what we would eat for the holidays.  But as the realization that stores would close in just a couple of hours hit, we headed to the grocery.

We picked up what we needed and were checking out.  “David, maybe we should pay for the person in line behind us,” I whispered to him as we were finishing up.  After all, it was Christmas Eve.

We stalled a bit with our items while the cashier rang up the woman behind us’ purchases.  I was all set to pay for her, but something just didn’t feel right.  I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I felt that this was not the time, or it was not the person.  Whatever it was, I put the credit card back in wallet and we turned to go.

And that’s when I saw her.

One aisle over, waiting for the cashier to check out her groceries, was an older woman.  She was wearing shorts on a cold evening, with leg warmers pulled up to her knees.  And she was shaking.

I was not sure if the shakes were from the temperature or a tremor, but she was standing in the grocery store shaking.

I looked at David.  He looked at me.  And with twinkles in our eyes, we knew that this was right.  This was the moment.  This was why the universe had put us in that store at that time.  To be kind to her.

I walked up to her and said something like, “Excuse me ma’am.  It is Christmas Eve.  Would it be ok if we gave you the gift of paying for your groceries tonight?”.

She looked at me briefly, then turned back to her wallet.  The cashier looked at us.  I wasn’t sure if the shopper had understood what I said.  “Ma’am, we would like to pay for your groceries tonight.  Is that alright?” I asked gently.

Now she turned to look at us full on.  Her face looked confused, but she understood.  “Well now, you don’t have to do that,” she said.

“Of course we don’t have to,” I replied, “But we want to.  It is Christmas Eve.  We want to give you a gift.”

She accepted the gift.  We paid.  The cashier gave us a smile as we helped put the full bags back in her cart.

And that’s when she leaned her skinny little body next to mine and reached out her thin arms.  She came in for the biggest embrace. 

So, there we stood – two strangers hugging on Christmas Eve.  Blocking the aisle so the person behind her could not proceed.  But they sensed the need – they were patient.

When our hug ended, I asked, “How are you getting home?  Do you have a car here?”.

Indeed she did – she was parked out in the lot.  “We’ll walk out with you and help you load up your car,” we told her.

And off we went out into the cold.  She was a slow walker, but that was fine with us, we were not in any hurry.  She lost her car so we had to explore a bit in the lot to find it, but that was ok with us.  Her car was old so she didn’t have a button to push to make it honk to help find it, so we walked slowly and hunted.

When we found the car, she turned to hug me again, tears in her eyes.  “You don’t understand,” she said, “I needed this.  You see, I just got diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver.  And a blood clot,” she said, tears streaming down her face. 

More hugs – tight, tight hugs.  Tears. 

We helped her load the groceries into the back seat.  I couldn’t see inside, but David later reported that she may have been living in the car.  He saw blankets and a pillow.  And when I thought back to what she bought, I think he may be right.  She had juices that do not need to be refrigerated.  Snacks of chips and nuts.  Tubs of potato salad, pre-made sandwiches, and other things from the deli that did not need to be cooked.

We said goodbye and Merry Christmas and parted ways.

I hope she has housing and is not living in her car.

I hope that her medical treatments are effective.

I hope that the hugs we gave her will help her get through the next few weeks.

And I hope that she is in the perfect place at the perfect time again sometime soon.

As for me, I will keep my eyes open and my heart open.  I will continue to talk to strangers, hug them even. 

And I will continue to spread kindness.  One tub of potato salad at a time.

Kindness Activist funds spent:  $131.60 

 

 

(This lovely angel was made mostly of rolled paper by a kind neighbor and given to us for Christmas.)

Holidays Are For Everyone

In this season of plenty, this time of excess – lights, music, cookies, candy, wrapping paper, bows, turkeys…

It is easy to forget that there are some who have nothing.

And for them, instead of a season of joy and song, this season is one of cold. 

It’s easy to forget them.  And for some, sometimes easier to ignore them. 

Because acknowledging them means acknowledging the inequity in our country.  The sad reality that some have much, and some have none. 

We live in the 7^th wealthiest county in America, Arlington, Virginia.  The average median income here is $132,380.

Yet, there are people who come to the Little Yellow Free Pantry outside our home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

Some of our visitors have housing.  They may rent an apartment for their family.  Perhaps they are working 2, maybe 3 jobs.  But still that is not enough income to pay the rent, the utilities, the gas, and put food on the table.

Some of our visitors rent a room in a house.  They have a bed, a bathroom, but no access to a kitchen, only a small fridge, microwave, or hotplate in the room.

Some of our guests live in their cars.  One lives in his van – lost his home in a fire and had no insurance.  With these people, we see the back seats filled with all of their belongings – coat, pillow, food, toilet paper.

And some of our guests have no indoor place to call home.  They live in the woods, on the street, in a bus stop, in a store front after the business closes for the night.

It is COLD these days.  Tonight the low is 36 degrees, tomorrow 32.  Some people go into the shelter for the night but others brave the weather and stay outdoors.

During these cold spells, sometimes I quietly complain about having to go out and put food in the pantry.  On days it is raining, or the steps are icy, I sometimes get cranky.  Then I think, “Susan, you will be outside in the freezing weather for 5 minutes.  The people who need this food may be out in it all night.  Get to work”.

One of our guests is a very mild mannered, quiet, polite person who is experiencing homelessness.  They immigrated to America, and I am quite certain that living on the street is not what they imagined when they dreamed of a new life here.  They come for food and if I see them, I make sure to go out and talk and make a special bag for them.  You see, they collect food not only for themselves, but for another person who does not have housing and lives outdoors but is not healthy enough to come to the pantry. 

Yesterday when they came I noticed they had no gloves, no mittens.  “Your hands are cold!  Do you have mittens?” I asked.  “No ma’am, I do not,” they told me.

I had just given them a holiday gift – one for them and one for their friend.  And inside it – gloves.  They didn’t know it yet, but they had gloves…

You see, last month I begrudgingly took on a project.  I didn’t want to do it, just like sometimes I do not want to brave the cold to fill up the pantry.  But someone from a local synagogue reached out and asked if there was something they could do to help Kindness Activist.  They wanted to do a mitzvah.  But they had specific parameters and if it was to happen, it would be me who would have to organize it.

Only, I was in the midst of the Santa Project.  And the advent/countdown calendar.  And work.  And the usual tasks of life like paying bills and replying to emails.  And I didn’t think I could add another thing to my already full plate.

But I took a step back and looked at it all.  Here was a group of people who really wanted to help, they just needed a prompt, a mission.  Like so many, they wanted to get involved and give back but they weren’t sure how to do it.

So, I set about planning.

I decided that gifts for people experiencing homelessness would be perfect.  And not just any gift.  At the holidays many people are generous and hand out food or stocking hats or socks to people who are homeless.  But no – these needed to be PROPER PRESENTS.  Respectful gifts.  Gifts that would be useful but also acknowledge the recipient’s humanity, not just their need.

I asked the person from the synagogue if they would be willing to wrap the gifts.  Kindness Activist would supply everything – wrapping paper, boxes, tape, presents – they simply needed to provide the effort (and the scissors).

On December 15^th they set to work making gift bags for 20 people.  In the bags are:

A stocking hat

A flashlight

Extra batteries

Lip balm

Beef jerky

A Starbucks canned drink

A deck of cards

Nail clippers

Tic Tacs

A chocolate bar

A pair of socks

Hand warmers

A pen

A notebook

A bag of Hershey kisses

And a holiday note or drawing from a local child

The volunteers wrapped each of the items so that the people who got them would have lots to open.  They lovingly put them into big, beautiful bags. 

And this week I got to hand out the first 2. 

The person was happy to receive them.  They didn’t have any idea what was inside and used the pretty bags to carry all of the other groceries they got – soup, meat, fruit, drinks, cookies.  I like to imagine what they must have thought when they got back to their spot and took a peek inside.  Did they open all of the gifts at once?  Did they savor them and open one per day? 

We have 18 more bags to hand out today and tomorrow.  I know one goes to the person who has no housing who comes to the pantry and I make coffee for – no sugar, just milk.  Last time they came they, like the other guest, had no mittens or gloves.  But in the freezing cold we saw that their hands were covered in nylon men’s socks.  Those could not provide much warmth but they are better than hands exposed to the frigid air.  It is not easy holding a piping hot cup of coffee and a cup of hot soup with socks on your hands, but they managed.

I am grateful.  Grateful for my home and my pillow and my running water and my mittens.

And I am embarrassed.  Ashamed to have so much when some have so little.

So I will share these gifts.  I will spread a message of happy holidays. 

And I will hope for better days ahead for these friends.

Special thank you to Congregation Etz Hayem for reaching out, wrapping many gifts, and helping make the holiday season a bit more bright for some members of our community.  And special thanks to the children who made artwork to be included in the packages.

Kindness Activist funds used:  $320.75 ($16.04 per gift)

The reminder that we all deserve joy and a little gift: priceless