God damnit! I've got the Christmas spirit!

Floyd Robertson wrote:HO HO HO

Darren Rovell ‏@darrenrovell 1h1 hour ago
Props to Draymond Green, who isn't only delivering holiday gifts to kids, he got dressed up to do it

Floyd Robertson wrote:HO HO HO

Darren Rovell ‏@darrenrovell 1h1 hour ago
Props to Draymond Green, who isn't only delivering holiday gifts to kids, he got dressed up to do it

Floyd Robertson wrote:HO HO HO

Darren Rovell ‏@darrenrovell 1h1 hour ago
Props to Draymond Green, who isn't only delivering holiday gifts to kids, he got dressed up to do it

LooseGoose wrote:

“May I buy your groceries?”

Rather than buy ourselves and our young adult children gifts this Christmas, we decided to walk the walk. You know. That walk where you stop indulging yourself with increasingly frivolous items and actually reach out to help others not as fortunate.

We bought several Walmart gift cards with funds we would have used to buy our gifts for one another and our kids. Then our daughter and daughter-in-law (who is pregnant with twins, our 10th and 11th grandchildren, so yes, we have more than enough blessings in our life), Mr. Wilkinson and I went to our local Walmart yesterday, a beautiful Sunday morning. Not quite knowing how to do what we wanted to do, just praying we’d get it right and not embarrass anyone or get arrested. Our girls decided on an approach, took the gift cards, and my husband and I stood at a distance, ready to help if needed.

The girls walked along and watched the check-out lines, and when they felt a tug at their kind hearts, they went up to people ready to check out and asked,

“May I buy your groceries?”

The initial responses were ones of shock and disbelief. No one was rude, or dismissive. They just wanted to know why. The girls answered that they were part of a family who decided this was the way they wanted to celebrate Christmas. Then a few asked if they were with a church or an organization. No, the girls said, we are just a regular family and this is our gift to you! No strings attached! From us!

Then the miracles came.

The first one, a young Mom, with a cart of food and just a couple of tiny presents for her little son, broke down in sobs, confiding that she “didn’t know how I could afford any of this”. Her hugs and her tears washed away all the nervousness our girls felt at first. They helped her bag her groceries and they all held one another for a long time, before this young woman left the store, trying hard not to sob.

The girls then quickly went to an obviously worn-out and defeated looking Dad, with 4 young sons. Beat down and broke, you can bet. In the check-out line, counting the bills in his wallet, nervously. “May I buy everything in your cart, sir?” they said. Again, the disbelief, the tears, the hugs, and the sincere, very heartfelt gratitude. That seismic shock you felt at 10:47 am yesterday? That was a huge crack opening in my cynical heart as I watched this.

Two elderly ladies, with one cart between them, barely full with just the most very basic things. A 2 pack of toilet paper. A small package of ham. A little pumpkin pie with red bow on top. Cans of cheap cat food. I doubt they had cats. They were the most unbelieving of all – they were literally paralyzed with shock. One had dementia and couldn’t really understand what was going on, but the other couldn’t believe “anyone cared about us” and “no one has been this kind to me in 75 years”.

There were people who smiled and merely told our girls, “No thank you! We are very blessed and in a good place, so please help someone who needs it!” Pay it forward without getting a thing. I like it.

The disabled veteran in a wheelchair, the lonely, unhappy looking girl, the young family with formula and diapers, the older lady who reminded our daughter of her beloved, departed grandma. Their surprise, their joy, their relief, their gratitude. All of them giving us more than we could ever give them.

It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced

And then there was the guy with the tattoos and the swagger and the backward ball cap. My husband saw our daughter approach him and started to get upset because he thought this guy didn’t look “needy”. But it turned out, he was one of the most appreciative and gracious people she interacted with. He couldn’t believe anyone would do this for “Me? You’re doing this for ME?”. A misfit, maybe. Who cares? Jesus didn’t. And either did our daughter. I saw him transformed by our daughter, who was smiling as big as I have ever seen. As he left, he keep stopping and looking back at her, shaking his head with disbelief, waving, and smiling. His gift was far more than a gift card.

This heaven on earth continued and each time, the glow from our girls got brighter and brighter.

Who was giving who what?

Me and Mr. Wilkinson? We just wept and tried to hold it together. And tried to stay anonymous. I did speak with a few lovely people, who noticed me watching (I guess I’m not as subtle as I thought…it was probably the wailing) and came up to me with such open and raw emotion, I could hardly speak. One woman, standing there holding my husband’s hand and telling him she lost her husband that very day, a few years ago. And my husband’s face as he remembered he lost his own father on that every same day.

The cashiers with their Santa hats wept, we wept, people we will never see again, wept, hugged, believing that, at least for a little while, people cared about them. We gave the cashiers the last of the gift cards and they promptly gave them back to their customers. How. Completely. Awesome.

Tim Wakefield wrote:Great church service just now. Been a while since I've been to my hometown church and it was a good time.

Now let's drink!

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:I'm half drunk, exhausted from driving to Louisville this morning, and taking a break from the in-laws in the guest bedroom. What's crackin'?

LooseGoose wrote:

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:I'm half drunk, exhausted from driving to Louisville this morning, and taking a break from the in-laws in the guest bedroom. What's crackin'?

Not much I think most of these son of a bitches are doing family shit.   Why they'd want to do that over being here is beyond me.

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:Any good bowl games on tonight? The wife just got me out of going to her extended family Christmas tonight, which is a fucking zoo every year. She just earned herself a foot rub later.

Tim Wakefield wrote:Great church service just now. Been a while since I've been to my hometown church and it was a good time.

Now let's drink!

DWags wrote:My hometown, Manistee, at Christmas. First one without my pops. Fuck you guys I'm a bit drunk and kinda emotional.

DWags wrote:My hometown, Manistee, at Christmas. First one without my pops. Fuck you guys I'm a bit drunk and kinda emotional.

Frank Ricard wrote:

DWags wrote:My hometown, Manistee, at Christmas. First one without my pops. Fuck you guys I'm a bit drunk and kinda emotional.

I lost my mother a couple months back, just after the Maryland game. I keep thinking we need to run up to see her tommorrow. Spent 57 years with my mother on Xmas day.

Cheers to your family, Dwags

LooseGoose wrote:2 of my kids have been over tonight, I look at them and remember them being small and over excited at Santa coming.   Now they're at that mid 20s jaded age, in some ways I really miss them being small.  

LooseGoose wrote:I may try this next year or maybe we could raise some $$ and have Ty go take care of it for us?

Walmart is a Holy Land

“May I buy your groceries?”

More at the link.....

InTenSity wrote:I had the Christmas spirit until I got a call from one of my DC's looking to get a truck loaded with an item that is basically non existent right now.

Floyd Robertson wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:I'm half drunk, exhausted from driving to Louisville this morning, and taking a break from the in-laws in the guest bedroom. What's crackin'?

Not much I think most of these son of a bitches are doing family shit. Why they'd want to do that over being here is beyond me.

SpartanInNH wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:I may try this next year or maybe we could raise some $$ and have Ty go take care of it for us?

Walmart is a Holy Land



More at the link.....

Christ, Loose. No need to make me fuckin' cry. On Christmas.

LooseGoose wrote:

SpartanInNH wrote:

Christ, Loose. No need to make me fuckin' cry. On Christmas.

Yeah, I'm a cold bastard about a lot of things but that got to me too. I'd contribute double to that vs taxes because at least I'd have a pretty good idea the help was going where it was really needed.

tGreenWay wrote:Hand out a shit ton of cash, and put smiles on the faces of many, many people.

LooseGoose wrote:

tGreenWay wrote:Hand out a shit ton of cash, and put smiles on the faces of many, many people.

Sounds like my experiences at the Hookers convention.

tGreenWay wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:

Sounds like my experiences at the Hookers convention.

I've been meaning to tell you, those women were all quarantined after that convention. See your doctor or wait for your pecker to turn all purpley and then fall off.