Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. My daughter and I finished the day off by going to see BOLT at the theaters, accompanied by vast amounts of buttered popcorn and 3-D glasses. (btw, the Hamster steals the show). Afterwards we found the Salvation Army Angel tree and picked out names of kids who might not have such a merry holiday season.
Every year since Beverly was little, we have picked out names from the tree and shopped for them. It’s a tradition I’m proud to share with her. For the last 3 years we have chosen the names and done the shopping in the name of the New Mexico branch of Interim Health Care. Interim is a home health care company and NM General Manager Twila Rutter decided several years ago that the best way her branch could thank their doctors and health care providers at the holidays was not to send them yet one more spiral ham or fruit basket that would go uneaten and unremembered, but instead to help the less fortunate in the area. The Salvation Army helps between 600-700 kids each year in the local area, and Interim proudly supplies gifts for approximately 10% of their needs.
So every year we choose about 30 girls and 30 boys and go shopping! We often will pick out the 
older kids, since they can be harder to purchase for and the gifts more expensive. One year, when Beverly worked for Radio Shack, she gave us her employee discount so we could get remote control cars, v-tech computers and loads of batteries for the toys. It meant that she couldn’t get commission for her sales, but she was proud of her contribution to the effort. And I was proud of her.
After we have meticulously made lists and purchased the gifts, we set them up on, around and over a table at my office and shoot pictures. There are so many gifts, we have to shoot the boy gifts separately from the girl ones! Then we bag everything up in plastic Hefty bags and label them for the Salvation Army.
For us it is one of the most joyous parts of the season. It’s something that Beverly and I do together, commiserating and planning and deciding… deciding if Hulk Hands are still appropriate for an 11 year-old (they are), if the new Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker is better than the EasyBake Oven (we’re not sure, but it looks awfully cute), and what kind of Tinkerbell stuff we’ll choose for an 8 year old girl (I’m for the old-style, but Beverly likes the new “tink” look). I’ll post pictures this year after we complete our shopping.
It’s these times that we remember with great fondness and our children take forward into the future for their own families. Tell us about your holiday traditions. We’ll get good ideas and cheer on the creativity and kindness of others!
Speaking of traditions, Goops Publisher Barbara Ross talked with us about that last week o
n the show. She shared with us how the desire to share the cherished Goops books with her grandson got her into the publishing business when she couldn’t find any of the books. It’s a great story and an inspiring one (she was 68 when she published the book!) and perfect for the holidays. We talk about manners for kids (that’s what the Goops books are about) and how to be good examples.
Dr. Susan was on the show as well, with her tips on how to deal with too many get-togethers and cranky know-it-alls. Here’s her list of 5 rules for the holidays. (Listen to the show as she explains the why and how of the rules)
- 1. Cut down on the drinking
- 2. Ask yourself the question: Do I REALLY have to go to all those parties and get-togethers?
- 3. Determine if there is a way to be with people you DO want to be with that’s less stressful.
- 4. Try not to feel you need to be perfect
- 5. It’s okay (and sometimes very good!) to let people go in our lives.
Next Thursday on the show we get Frommer’s list of 10 Best destinations for 2009 (and all the cheap travel tips!) and Santa Paws comes to visit as WebVet co-founder Hope Schultz talks about great holiday toys for the pets. (aromatherapy? a massage glove?)
Don’t forget… we’ve got a page for recipes on the site… so check it out and send us yours to add to it!
Being thankful for so much…
XX
Pam
ps… Welcome to TJ, a new listener. He was my rep at QWEST when I had dsl problems. Thanks for the great service TJ, and hope you enjoy the show!
