The Christmas Jar

Thank goodness Thanksgiving Day is almost over!

Let's see, I slept 12 hours last night. That was good.

I'm eating salt and vinegar potatoe chips with a drink in bed by 3pm....that's not so good.

I've got plenty of laundry to do. Woohooo! Maybe later when I eat the turkey it will seem something like a Thanksgiving.

My daughter decided it wasn't worth her effort to come home. She's stressed because she has to work and go to school. Welcome to my world sweetie!

My parents decided they wished they had terminated their pregnancy when I was conceived. But, oops, too late now.......

My brother and his wife....well, they never cared anyway.

I'm looking ahead at the sales. You know stress is certainly well-managed with shopping. LOL

And one thing I'm thankful for is that by the time I'm 46 years old, I figured out that Christmas will be different this year. No more unappreciated gifts and begging mom and dad to act normal.

No more watching children throw their Bose sound systems and cameras and clothes aside and give you the F word. No more spending large sums of money on credit cards for kids to mock at. No more.

There's certainly one thing I'm thankful for and that's the people who truly have the integrity to appreciate giving. I love it when people can appreciate home made gifts. There's a few still out there beyond our stitching circle of friends, but alot of folks don't realize how many hours it takes to make stitching pieces.

I heard something on the satelite radio last night on the way home from work that touched me.

It was on the Glen Beck show on Fox news channel. He talked about the Christmas Jar which is a book but he really talked of the tradition that he and his family had for the past 5 years.

Did anyone hear him last evening?

Anways, I really think that Christmas for me will be this way in the future. I'm collecting change in a jar and hopefully 2 or 3 jars next year. Pocket change.

And at Christmas, you get in your car around midnight and leave the jar full of change on a family's doorstep quietly and run, run! :0

I want to do this. I want to contribute to someone's life in a special way.

I've been there when you didn't know where grocery money was coming from. It's not pleasant, to say the least.

I know what it's like to have 2 kids, and 2 jobs and full time school all at the same time while trying to keep their level of living the same. Trying to make sure they don't suffer for someone's mistake.

I did something sort of like this last year.

When I get to work, there is a man who is very crippled who limps over to our large practice to Chick-Filet and he gets coffee. He is dressed to a T even though he is obviously very disabled.

I've chatted with him a few mornings and last year I anonymously gave the Chick-Filet lady some money for him to get free biscuits. I didn't want him to know I did it.

I didn't want credit for it. I just wanted him to know he is special.

That's what real Christmas is about.

When I heard last night about the Christmas Jar book, first, I knew I had to read it from the bookstore, and two, I knew my years of lavish spending on ungrateful family had halted.

You know they say you know who your friends are when people have a death in the family.

Well, I think that can apply to gift-giving. You know who your real family are when you stop spending ungodly amounts of money on them.

Even though we didn't have a whole lot growing up, my mom thought that just buying something would make up for her "white lies" she told me about. When I was a wee little girl she gave me the lesson on white lies and I will never forget it. I forgive her. She didn't know any better but her half century of white-lieing has really had it's effect. She thinks now that her daily attendance in church will cancel the hypocrisy of her words. I think that is so sad for her.

But, without boring you to a T on this Thanksgiving day and without further adieu.......

I challenge you to find a jar and collect the change and make this a tradition. To give to the ones who really need and appreciate it.

Have fun tomorrow with your shopping and stay safe!!!!!!

Jennifer