Hey Bart,
I would like to tell you a Christmas story. It is not about me, but about my friend John, a guy with whom I have worked beside for years.

A couple of years back, right before Christmas, our coworker became very quiet and looked quite troubled.
No one wanted to, "pry" but we knew that something was wrong.

Then, another woman (her friend) told us that our coworker's husband had cleaned out the bank account and split
-- leaving her with three teenagers, Christmas ten days away, and absolutely no money to her name.

This became tricky, as we didn't want to embarrass her by letting her know that we knew... All of the women in the office
(Myself included) buzzed around speculating about the how's and why's this had happened to her -- and, "what ever is she going to do?"

A few days later, the coworker came in to work, went to her mailbox, and returned to her desk with an envelope in hand.
A few moments later we heard a gasp, and we all turned and looked at her. She was holding the opened envelope in one hand,
and a bunch of "gift certificates" from a couple of stores (totaling about $300) in the other hand. Furthermore, she had some
"10%" and "20%" and "25%" off coupons for the various stores and a note which she shared:

"Dear (coworker's name),
It has come to my attention that there are three teens living in your house who are looking forward to a Christmas that I am
hoping you will provide for them.  Since I can't be everywhere, especially at this time of the year, I am asking your assistance.
Enclosed please find some things to help you shop for them.
You are a great Mom, I know I can count on you for this.
Very truly yours,
S Clause"
 

Needless to say, for the next few days the office gossips had a ball speculating as to "where" the help had come.
(Management was the going guess.)

But I knew -- you see I recognized the certificates -- my friend John had won them by working overtime and excelling
in a sales campaign all year long. He too had been dreaming about what he would buy with his awards...
What he doesn't know, is that our boss had asked me to put the awards in his box -- they were numbered - I just
cross-checked the numbers and verified that they came from him.

To this day, the coworker hasn't a clue from where her gifts came.
That summer the kids were able to get into a program for teens, and earned some money, so that by the next year
their Christmas was a lot better. But the coworker still talks about her own "miracle" on that Christmas. My friend John
has never come forward to reveal what he had done...but whenever the subject comes up, I see the small smile come over his face.
You see, her joy was gift enough for him. He is a very unique person -- in his own quiet way.

From your friend,
SP

My boss is an avid Bartcop devotee and clued me into your requests for  non-commercial Christmas stories.

I am a Quaker and donate my time to :

1. weekly Peace Vigil in my area.  year round.

2. every Christmas I manage/arrange the "Adopt-a-Family" program at my Meeting (Quakers call church "meeting").
We contact the local welfare office and adopt three families  for Xmas, - getting every present on their Christmas lists.:
clothing, toys, books, etc. Both parents and kids. I also run the annual craft fair, where all the proceeds go to the charities
that Meeting supports: prison reforms, youth-at-risk programs,  literacy programs, peace programs, food banks, homeless shelters, adult GED.

3. My meeting collects food for the local food bank every week and donates year round.

4. I spend at least one Saturday a month (more often its 2 or 3), working for my local Habitat for Humanity. year round.
hammering nails in sub zero new england weather is a bitch. but it has to be done.

5. I volunteer my computer skills to help 3 non-profit social service agencies in my community. I maintain their networks,
run their websites, and troubleshoot their phone systems.

6. In years past I have spent summer vacations doing volunteer work in rural Appalachia, helping to build/repair/rehab houses.

7. I mentor a teen at risk. I see her weekly, year round.

8. I help my mother, who is 78 and on a volunteer basis runs a social service agency full time, take care of my ailing 74-yr old father.

I am a small 39 yr old woman. And I manage to do all of this while working a 40+ hour week and suffering from SAD
(seasonal affective disorder... otherwise known as the winter blues) so bad that I have to spend half of every year on Prozac.
Why do I push myself to do all this?  Because my faith tells me to help others, not to push any religious agenda.

DMS

Bart,
 
Five years ago my wife and I were going thru some rough times.
She was getting very ill and while the bills were covered we never had much left over.
One day I came in and found her crying because there wouldn't be enough to have anything for Christmas.

"Like hell," I thought and went back and got all my old albums and dvd's.
We went over and sold them, got $200 for the lot.
As we were leaving I recognized a woman and child looking in a toy story window.
I knew her from when I worked at the local welfare office. As we passed them I heard her say to her little girl,
"We can't afford that honey" I looked at my wife and we were both thinking the same thing.
My wife took the $200 over to the woman and gave it to her.
We didn't have much that year but we had each other.

My wife passed away last year and if there is a Heaven I hope that got her in.

MH

More nest issue

 Comments?

 Return to bartcop.com