Check out this story, from an email from my Supervisor:

[ComerPerro]

...I met this wonderful family down at reStart – (the homeless mission) on Christmas day. It was a family with four kids (all teenagers) there serving Christmas dinner with us. They agreed to give up their commercial Christmas this year and focus on the real meaning of the Holiday. I couldn’t believe it. So they collected every dollar that they would have spent on each other and kept it in a jar in their kitchen. They told friends instead of giving them a present to just give them cash to add to their collection jar. Then on Christmas Day they brought it down to the mission and donated almost $1000 to reStart instead of celebrating Christmas the usual way this year. It was heartwarming! And none of the kids were sad, mad or seemed disappointed. They seemed quite happy to be able to help others who had so much less then they did. They didn’t even plan a Christmas dinner for themselves – they just cooked burgers on the grill. Isn’t that a wonderful story? I was so blessed to have experienced that this year.

I just had to post this, because it really just caught my attention. So few people do things like this, and even fewer ever get recognition. But every year we hear story after story about some guy who bought 5,000 presents for his family and friends, or some person who spent $10,000 decorating his house. Those people are always applauded in our media for being able to "keep the Christmas Spirit", but they never actually do anything meaningful or that is actually within the meaning of the holiday.

[Nimrod2005]

1. Excellent...n/t

[Divernan]

2. My immediate family exchanges wish lists naming favorite charities.

We then send cards saying "x" dollars have been donated to ______ in your name.

The kids still get presents w/ the hoopla, but the adults give a great example of the spirit of Christmas. I particularly liked the fact that the account you gave included teenagers who have learned to volunteer instead of sulk and skulk around the mall.

[ComerPerro]

3. That's cool too!

[Gato Moteado]

4. the war on xmas continues! restart will be next on o'reilly's hit list....

....this family sounds like a bunch of socialists! giving money to poor starving people?

we need more people willing to spend $10,000 decorating their house or buying 5000 gifts at walmart for their family to keep the real meaning of xmas alive. that's the real xmas spirit and the way jesus and fox news intends it to stay.

the hell with this charity crap.....that's for socialists, not true christians.

:sarcasm:

[ComerPerro]

5. And, if they are giving money to charity and not spending it at stores

then that hurts the economy! These people must really hate America

[Gato Moteado]

8. hey, the sam walton dynasty needs to make a living....

why would you want to deprive these people of their fair share?

[ComerPerro]

10. Yeah, the Walton's gotta eat too

[NJCher]

6. Wonderful story

Thanks for sharing it with us.


Cher

[ComerPerro]

7. I thought it was great to read this morning

I was in a bad mood when I came in, but seeing that helped.

Nice to see people who actually walk to walk, right?

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. It would be nice to see the local media cover this

Maybe someone should email them. hint hint

[ComerPerro]

11. Yeah, maybe you should email them

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. They will want more info than you or I have

You should encourage your supervisor to contact them.

[ComerPerro]

13. Yeah, I know. I am going to

[Javaman]

14. Hey, I'm the resident cynic here...

Was this a chain letter? Did it have an actual link to a reported story?

Last year a few of these "heart warming" stories came out on the net, all of which, were false.

So until I can hear these kids on TV actually recount what happened, I don't believe it.

Personally, I find these stories despicable. Like a salvation army person once told me, "it seems only around the holidays" people get the "spirit" to help.

There are needy people 24/7 365 days a year. Buying them dinner during the holiday's is nice on the surface but really hypocritical. It makes the person giving the gift feel good. And only fills the homeless persons belly for one night.

Homeless people that I have come into contact with say they usually have so much food during the holiday's that they can't eat it all and it goes bad. They wish it was spread out over months rather than a couple of feel good weeks.

I'm neither religious or a do good-er, however, I have been homeless in my life. Take out one (or two or three) of your own meals a week during the year and feed someone who actually needs it. Going to bed (or on the concrete) with an empty stomach sucks.

It takes nothing but time. We seem to have an abundance of time to help people during the holidays, but none the rest of the year.

I can't solve the worlds problems but I can help my little piece of it.

Be of good cheer.

[ComerPerro]

15. I understand why you ask.

It was edited down from the whole email, because my supv. is out of the office so she was emailing in our daily information.

And she was out last week for a medical condition, so she updated us on her health too.

The email was written out by her, something she observed here in town at the shelter she was volunteering at.

I just had to trim a lot of it out, because of the personal and/or business nature of the rest of the email.

But I can see why you would ask. It reads like a chain letter, doesn't it?

[Javaman]

16. Thanks for the info. :)

[ComerPerro]

17. Like I said, I completely understand

[NJCher]

18. maybe they do give all year long

There's nothing in the story to suggest they don't.


Cher

[VaYallaDawg]

19. Best Christmas ever for lots of people! n/t