Poor people shouldn't have xmas

[Tria]

Uh, woman...give the woman a cookie! And I'll take two please!!

Sorry, saw the pic, went from there. And cookies.... *Passes oatmeal chocolate chip*

[Tria]

"Stolen" would probably be a more correct word, or more politely, "co-opted." Many "Christian" holidays have stolen their trappings from earlier Pagan/Celtic/whatever rites. Christmas trees, mistletoe, Christmas wreaths, Christmas presents, Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts, the Easter bunny...you get the idea. And not one of them, in and of themselves (not talking about the ideas associated with them) has a hoot to do with Jesus or what he taught.

Well, it IS easier to save firewood if you can convince people to come over "willingly."

[NightAngel]

Okeys... it's all been nice so far but I'd like everyone to keep in mind that we aren't going to have a religious debate of any kind.

That's not the point of the thread.

Please try and remain on topic.

[Bella_Vixen]

It may have seemed that way to you, but that is a pretty general statement to make.

Trust me, Becks is not exaggerating on that.

[Ree]

Trust me, Becks is not exaggerating on that.

I'm sorry that you may have had a poor childhood and your family wasn't able to use the social networks that are in place, but it seems very insensitive to imply that, just because they are on welfare, those children get a lot more toys than other kids.

So, for one day out of the year, people who largely ignore the poor for most of the year, get filled with the sentiment of the season and buy toys for children whose names appear on lists from social services.

I grew up quite poor as well, and many years, it was only through the kindness of neighbours and strangers that we had a Christmas at all. We were not on assistance, as my father believed in working for what he earned.

As I have already said, there isn't much more room at CS for a welfare bashing/ranting thread, so please don't turn it into that.

[NightAngel]

Spirit of Christmas

One year when my eldest was little (maybe 3?) I was really just barely making ends meet and I was sad that he wasn't going to have much of a Christmas.

A day or two before Christmas I came home from work and there was a huge trashbag (like the yard bags) sitting in front of my house door. My immediate thought was, "Great, some asshole left their garbage for me."

When I got out of the car and got closer I realized that there was a stuffed bear arm sticking out the top so I checked closer... it was a big bag full of toys.

There was a card attached to it that simply said:
"From Santa Claus"

[LdyJedi]

There's something rather touching about that. The poor mother's obviously struggling to make ends meet, but yet she makes sure her son HAS a Christmas gift. (Or two, in this case.) And the fact that the kid was ecstatic to have a used $4 pair of rollerblades instead of whining and crying for some expensive ones, or an expensive video game system, or a new bike says something about the values he was taught.

Or am I reading that wrong?

You're reading it right. I found it touching and sad at the same time.

[LdyJedi]

There was a card attached to it that simply said:
"From Santa Claus"

That make me get teary-eyed! How wonderful someone could do that!

[phillippbo]

That make me get teary-eyed! How wonderful someone could do that!

I agree. THAT's true charity, doing something wonderful for others knowing nobody but you, whatever higher power you believe in, and whoever might have helped you on it will ever know who did it. (Okay, for any athiests or agnostics out there, just you and your helper.) It warms the heart just a bit to learn about times like this where someone does something out of the kindness of their heart just for the sake of the action, not for the recognition.

There, now I've gotten myself all misty.

[Ree]

What a beautiful story, NightAngel. Thanks for sharing it.

While we're sharing stories, one year at Christmas, my Mom was in the hospital.
She had been in for quite a while actually. I think now, she would probably have been given some psychiatric diagnosis (SAD, depression, hypochondria) but back then, the doctor just admnitted her for high blood pressure and "nerves" and she spent most of the winter in the hospital.

Anyway, it was pretty much a yearly occurrence, and we were usually split up and sent off to other relatives, but that year, we were a little older, and my oldest brother and sister were able to look after us.

So, on Christmas Eve, the doctor allowed my Mom to come home briefly for Christmas. While my Dad was in town picking her up, there was a knock at the door.
It was the man who owned the little country store, and he had boxes and boxes of stuff.
There were actually cases of soft drinks (the old style, in the bottle and cardboard crate - it was the late 60's ) and we never got soft drinks.
There were bags of hard candy and other treats.

There were baked goods from all the neighbours, including the most beautiful cake with creamy white icing and poinsettias made out of chopped cherries and pecans in between. (Stuff we never usually got.)

It was pretty much our entire Christmas meal, all donated by the people in the area.

Christmas morning was just as exciting.
It didn't occur to me until years later that most of the toys we got had been donated as well. Some of them were used toys that their own children had grown out of.

There were a few new things, but I still recall the little doll that was sticking out of my stocking. It had the ugliest hair that some kid had chopped, I think, because it stuck straight up, and there were 2 outfits with it that really didn't fit.
I loved it, and because I was young, I don't think it ever occurred to me that Santa hadn't brought the toys.


It really was one of the best Christmases for us. Looking back, it was probably a little humiliating for my parents to have the neighbours treating us as a charity case, but I know they never forgot that wonderful act of kindness.

[HawaiianShirts]

My Three Cents (no, you can't have them for two)

This is kinda off topic, but I think it fits here, talking about kids being absolutely elated over what adults see as rather small things. I used to deliver pizza (extremely entertaining job), and during the summer, I would occasionally encounter kids with lemonade stands (or root beer stands, or popsicle stands, or even a Rice-Krispie Squares stand). If I wasn't in a big hurry, I liked to stop and buy something and leave them a tip while I was at it. One time, I came across two girls selling some kind of Kool-Aid. I stopped, expecting the usual 25 to 50-cents a glass, but discovered that they were selling it for a mere 5-cents. I told them I was really thirsty and I wanted two glasses, then I gave them two of those gold Sacajawea dollars that got really popular for about a year here in the US (I'd just been tipped with those) and told them the rest was their tip. They were speechless as I went back to my car. As I was pulling out, I heard one of them squeal with joy (as only little girls can) and saw one running inside, probably to report to her mom how much money they'd made.

Half the time the drunks show up in the morning (or days later) to pick up their cars and haggle with him over the towing/storage fees (or flat out refuse to pay). When that happens, he tacks an extra days charge on top- then, they don't know what to say...

The best part is, if an SC gets real belligerent and starts with the threats, the police will show up and back my father

A little closer to the topic:
I just had a conversation with a cop (as I was starting to close the department) who was shopping for a wireless mouse. He told me that he had seen a lot of stupid stuff in his day.
Cop: I wish there was something on the books for Stupid.
Me: Like a fine or a tax or something?
Cop: That'd be nice, but it would be more fun for me if I could actually arrest people for being stupid.
Then he told me a story about shopping for a camera in my store a couple years back. He watched some kid grab a display camera and try to bolt for the door without realizing that the camera was attached to the counter with about 3-feet of steel security cable.
Cop: You ever see a dog start running then suddenly reach the end of its chain? That's what this kid did... in front of me and a store employee... with me in uniform. If I could have taken him in for stupidity, I would have.

And actually on-topic:
Those women... Ooh! They're completely missing the purpose of Christmas. Yes, it's been commercialized, but for most people, it's at least a time to get together with family, if not also a time for religious observances. If people can't afford new decorations, they shouldn't have Christmas at all?!? If I was the manager, I's say those women can get their USED decorations elsewhere.

Okay. I'm done. Thanks for putting up with my ramblings.

[friendofjimmyk]

Sorry, saw the pic, went from there. And cookies.... *Passes oatmeal chocolate chip*

That's what I figured. That pic is Jimmy K. I am merely a friend!

*takes cookie!* thanks!

[Tria]

That's what I figured. That pic is Jimmy K. I am merely a friend!

*takes cookie!* thanks!

Secret family recipe....