​I hear a lot of people dreading Christmas, hating Christmas, saying the gift giving isn’t what it’s about. And while that’s true, I hope these people realize that getting back to the true meaning of Christmas starts within yourself. I hope that they pick a child off the Angel Tree, or volunteer with a Food Pantry, or some other selfless act. It WILL change your heart. 

Last week at work, this couple came up to the counter, inquiring about a discount if they bought several pairs of boots. They said six pairs. 

So we offered them the same discount we had on Black Friday, including 50% off our closeouts, which are already marked down. 

They bought fourteen pairs.

They were at the counter for awhile, as you can imagine, as we were checking sizes & whatnot. They explained what they were doing. They were from North Carolina & it all started four years ago. A few members in their church are teachers & brought up the subject of a few of the underprivledged children in the community. These teachers had an inkling that some students weren’t getting anything to eat over the weekend. They thought the only food these children received was at school. So it came about that the church was making up sack lunches for these kids to take home over the weekend. It wasn’t much, like a can of soup or a sandwich, some chips, an apple, & a few bottles of water, but it would be enough to sustain them.  

They packed six lunches a week that first year.

Four years later, they are packing 135 every week.

So that’s who the boots were for. And they came back the next day & bought four more pairs. 

The need is growing as the drug problem grows. The parents get a food stamps card to help with groceries, but most of them turn around & sell it to someone for half the amount to have cash for drugs. 

This happens HERE, people. The need is HERE. You don’t have to go to Kentucky, or Mexico, or Africa to make a difference. Go to your local church, or school, library, or food bank. Any of these places can provide you with a list of the needy, I have no doubt. 

I could tell you the story of a little boy who didn’t have any underwear or socks to wear to school, & when presented with them, he was so excited, he went to put them on right that minute. I could tell you about the kids who know their parents will take their clothes back to the store to get money, so they request the tags to be cut off so that can’t happen. I could tell you about a boy that ate six bananas at the library because he never got fruit at his house. I could tell you about another little boy who was so scared for his family starving that he was sneaking food out of the piles & putting it in his pants.

While I’ve been writing this, I’ve had one customer tell me he hated Christmas. I told him what I wrote at the beginning, to go volunteer somewhere. He says he lives in the woods by his lonesome. I asked him what that had to do with it, he was down here at least twice a week, he could help out somewhere & change someone’s life. He said his wife was working at the VA hospital. I told him to go there & volunteer, or meet her for lunch. Another customer was telling me I better get to church & learn the real reason for the season (I have NO IDEA what provoked this, I think he was just feeling righteous) & I told him you didn’t have to go to church for it, He lives in our hearts. So then he quotes scripture at me, so I got to quote back the verse “Where two or more are gathered, I am there among them.”