This can be anything. Something you did, something you got, or any memory of Christmas, Hannukah, Quanzaa, etc.
For me, my best Christmas memory had nothing to do with getting anything for me. While working the corporate job, ( I used to work as a Technical Recruiter for large high-tech firms), we would have a Christmas Angel Tree in each of the lobbies of all our buildings on the campus. And one year, with less than a week left until Christmas, I came down to find that there were still a bunch of Angels left on the tree. I had already given one Angel their gift, but there were a bunch left. I called the Angel people and asked if these kids were on other trees in town, and they told me no. So, if nobody got them anything, they were going to be out of luck. I asked them how many they had left on other trees in town, and they said there were a few others left around town too.
So, I went to each building, got all the remaining Angels, called the woman and had her fax me the rest from town, and then asked how many days I had left to get gifts, and she said "one". I took each of the Angel's wish lists, grabbed my mom, and we went shopping.
For the Angel tree, each Angel completes a list. The list has something they want for Christmas, something they want to give for Christmas, and something their teacher says they need. We spent the entire afternoon, and late into the night, shopping. I bought every gift for roughly 30 kids, and delivered them in the bed of my truck the next day. I also bought cards for every friend and family member I would have gotten a gift for normally, and wrote the name of a kid that had gotten Christmas instead of them. They were the best gifts I ever gave.
I'll never forget doing it, not because it was some big "look at me doing good stuff" moment, but because there were kids who were so used to having nothing for Christmas, that they asked for underwear and socks. No shit. Underwear and socks. They got more than underwear and socks that year. Or the little girl who wanted a necklace for her mommy that said "I love you Mommy". I can still see the look on the faces of the checkers at ToysRUs and WalMart when I had 10 skateboards, and 10 barbies, etc, etc.
If those kids felt a tenth as good about getting the stuff as I felt about giving it, they had a great Christmas. I'd give up ever getting another thing for myself to be able to do that again. Unfortunately, I'm poor now.
For me, my best Christmas memory had nothing to do with getting anything for me. While working the corporate job, ( I used to work as a Technical Recruiter for large high-tech firms), we would have a Christmas Angel Tree in each of the lobbies of all our buildings on the campus. And one year, with less than a week left until Christmas, I came down to find that there were still a bunch of Angels left on the tree. I had already given one Angel their gift, but there were a bunch left. I called the Angel people and asked if these kids were on other trees in town, and they told me no. So, if nobody got them anything, they were going to be out of luck. I asked them how many they had left on other trees in town, and they said there were a few others left around town too.
So, I went to each building, got all the remaining Angels, called the woman and had her fax me the rest from town, and then asked how many days I had left to get gifts, and she said "one". I took each of the Angel's wish lists, grabbed my mom, and we went shopping.
For the Angel tree, each Angel completes a list. The list has something they want for Christmas, something they want to give for Christmas, and something their teacher says they need. We spent the entire afternoon, and late into the night, shopping. I bought every gift for roughly 30 kids, and delivered them in the bed of my truck the next day. I also bought cards for every friend and family member I would have gotten a gift for normally, and wrote the name of a kid that had gotten Christmas instead of them. They were the best gifts I ever gave.
I'll never forget doing it, not because it was some big "look at me doing good stuff" moment, but because there were kids who were so used to having nothing for Christmas, that they asked for underwear and socks. No shit. Underwear and socks. They got more than underwear and socks that year. Or the little girl who wanted a necklace for her mommy that said "I love you Mommy". I can still see the look on the faces of the checkers at ToysRUs and WalMart when I had 10 skateboards, and 10 barbies, etc, etc.
If those kids felt a tenth as good about getting the stuff as I felt about giving it, they had a great Christmas. I'd give up ever getting another thing for myself to be able to do that again. Unfortunately, I'm poor now.
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