I had a very humbling experience volunteering at XL106.7's Baby DJ program with my Ugly Stepsister and her Sprint team last night. Baby DJ collects toys for kids, and then invites people unable to provide Christmas for their families to come to the toy warehouse to "shop" for free toys for their children. The parents are allowed to pick up to three toys per child. We helped over 700 children last night alone in our community! It really made me count my blessings and I plan to volunteer again next year.
Begin rant:
Now that I'm an adult, my days in believing in Santa are long behind me. I don't have a Christmas list, nor do I expect anything for Christmas. Let's be honest...If I want something, I'll buy it for myself. (i.e. an electric keyboard). For me, Christmas tends to be about the obligation of buying presents and it bothers me because that is not what I want Christmas to be about. I feel a little guilty for feeling obligated to buy gifts for others. After all, 'tis the season for giving. However, I'd rather donate my time and spend my money on those less fortunate than my family and friends. Except for a couple of people (3), I don't feel good about getting family and friends gifts because most of the time it just feels like something I have to do since they get me presents. I'm giving a lot of fucking gift cards this year because I'm just not into it. (is it wrong that my heart just isn't into it?) It's different if I get something that I think someone will love and don't expect anything in return (umm...isn't that the kind of giving we should be doing?) I want Christmas to be about enjoying time with friends and family and sending good wishes to those away from home with a card or a phone call. I want Christmas to be about helping those less fortunate than me. It's too late to save my Christmas, but I am going to make sure next Christmas will be the Christmas I want, which means having a lot of difficult conversations with people who will likely be disappointed. There's more to life, there's more to Christmas than gifts!
End rant!
