A One Legged Elf's Christmas Tale: Paying it Forward

Christmas can be one of the most joyous times of the year. Even people who are normally reserved and quiet come out of their shell to celebrate. Years ago my oldest came up with an idea that we adopted as our own philanthropy. Instead of spending a ton of money on a huge tree or putting up a ton of lights, every week we would all put a quarter in the glass jar on the kitchen counter. That might not sound like a lot but over the course of a year it adds up. Our goal for the first week of December is to hit $70.00. There are times when I just dump my pocket change in there and it makes up for when someone doesn't have a quarter. When we counted it up this year we were close to a hundred dollars.

I took it to the bank and traded in the coins and we all headed to the various stores in the area that had stellar sales going on. We knew there were older neighbors that had no relatives and were on a limited income so instead of getting Christmassy things we opted for basics. With the almost hundred dollars we bought two carts full of groceries (that was with a hell of a lot of coupons too) and some small personal items like socks, body wash and batteries for smoke detectors.

We divided everything up and set out to deliver the goods in cloth recycling bags that the manager of the grocery store gave me. I have to admit, I felt like one of Santa's elves when I would ring the doorbell. No one wants to admit that they are behind the eight ball or are living from month to month and it's especially painful to see older people in such circumstances. While the boys changed the batteries on their smoke detectors and did some minor fixes on loose doorknobs and dropped the screens on their windows I helped them with the groceries. Without fail, every person wanted to make us hot chocolate or do something to repay us. Knowing that our small good deed would make someone happy was the only thing we needed.

I'm not an angel or even someone that goes to church but I do believe that there is some higher power somewhere. I've dealt with what life has handed me the best I can. I do not seek pity or ask for anything in return. Well, maybe just one thing. Stop and think about the difference you can make this time of year. You don't have to spend a lot of money or even a single cent. Knock on your neighbor's door and see if they need something from the store. Toss the newspaper on the top step so someone doesn't have to go out in the cold to get it. Shovel someone's sidewalk or throw out some salt for them when the weather is bad.

I know for a fact that some of the people we visited have almost no contact with anyone for weeks at a time. They don't drive so they have to limit what they can buy at the store or rely on someone to take them. I think it is a huge injustice that senior citizens and those with health problems are swept under the carpet. I am still amazed that a simple single quarter a day pledge from all of us made so many people happy. Even if it was nothing more than some peanut butter, crackers, canned food and basic food items - to them it was much more. This Christmas when you are giving thanks for what you have and overlooking what you don't have please take a moment to remember your neighbors and the simple fact that even if you have it bad, there is always someone that has it worse.