Best Christmas Ever!

Yesterday was the Christmas Families gift wrapping at our church. Would you think I was a total nut if I said this is my most favorite thing I do at Christmas time? As far as I'm concerned Christmas is done now. Seriously, I look forward to it all year long and not just the wrapping, the picking the name of our children we buy for, the shopping (it's the only shopping I LIKE to do), the gathering and anticipating and then taking it to the church, putting it all on their chair and getting there early so we can be the ones to wrap OUR kids presents.

What a great thing it is! I think this year they said there were 85 kids our church bought clothes and toys for. 85! How sad that there are 85 kids in need.....that we even know of in our community....How blessed we are to have the opportunity to give even a bit of joy to those kids. I know, I am a total sap.

I used to work in the Therapeutic Nursery at our church. The best Christmas family year was when I secretly knew the kids I was buying for because they were in my class. (You aren't supposed to know them and they don't know you) I would be playing with them and just casually ask them for their hearts desire....and then go buy it! They were so thrilled when I saw them in January, raving about how Santa brought them just what they wanted!!! Too cool!

This year was a very meaningful one for Barry and I. Our 16 year old daughter picked her very own kid to buy for. She works now and not only did she pick a toy but she picked out a whole outfit for her little one....Aliyah. She spent a tremendous amount of money for a 16 year old with a part time job. She took a long time picking out just the right thing for "her" girl, it was a beautiful thing to watch, I am so proud of her.

While we were wrapping yesterday, I came upon a chair with a little boy's name who didn't have a 'top'. Each child has someone sign up to buy a top and/or a bottom and/or a toy. Apparently whoever had his name picked out the wrong size and so the Elder in charge of Missions was trying to find something that would fit this boy. She had been running around all day--rushing to the store for batteries for kids toys without them and clothes for ones whose donators didn't show up. She is a very beautiful woman, filled with light, but right now she looked very tired and a bit dismayed at the prospect of having to run out again. Who could blame her? I told her to just wait a sec and let me see what I could do. So my daughter calls my 20 year old son who was at home nursing a very swollen shoulder injury (he is delivering packages for UPS this season trying to raise money for college) and asks him to look around to see if he has a errant shirt with tags in his room sized 12.

Would you believe he ran right out to the store and bought a great warm sweater for this child he'd never heard of? And then rushed right over to the church so it could be wrapped and included in the delivery today. AND refused to be reimbursed for it---wanted to just donate it?

Ahhhh....I had Christmas yesterday. It was the best Christmas I've ever had.