Years ago it was easy to tell that Christmas was on its merry way with the first stapling of my ski glove to the gutter, all the while trying not to take a header into the snowbank off the top of a ladder. I usually descended one rung at a time and could pretty much count on there being a new pair of ski gloves under the tree. But then there would be this grating sound, like nails on a chalk board, just when my insulated boot had nearly reached the icy ground, “half that string is out you know”.
That was then and this is now.
I love almost everything about living in Arizona but I have to confess, Christmas is hard to get into here. After hanging the lights in shorts and sandals it’s a bit of a struggle to create a little holiday spirit. I blast Christmas music in the car starting the day after Thanksgiving. I start hunting for the only present that I get to choose on my own, the infamous “Grampa gift” for my three little amigos. My wife generally finds a light display for us to wander around. And I watch a few holiday specials, my two favorites being Christmas Vacation and The Grinch… speaking volumes about the evolution of the human male.
There’s something to be said for the wisdom of animated creatures like the Grinch, and no one ever put words into the mouths of children’s characters better than the brilliant Dr. Seuss; “Maybe Christmas, he thought… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps… means a little bit more!”
Left to right: Bill Salvatore- Arizona Elite Properties, Kathy Tilque- President/CEO Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, Sarah Watts- Gilbert Chamber Marketing & Communications and coordinator of the Adopt-a-Senior program.
The awesome folks at the Chamber of Commerce in Gilbert, Arizona have surely found that “little bit more” that Christmas means. They’ve imagined a brilliant project they call Adopt-a-Senior. Every November a short wish list is collected from senior citizens with limited mobility or shut-ins. The lists are distributed to Gilbert residents who request them and gifts are dropped of at the Chamber to be delivered.
For the past few years my wife and I have chosen two lists. We’ve shopped and wrapped and dropped off gifts for people that we only know by a name at the top of a page. So we want to recognize the City of Gilbert this Thank You Thursday for unknowingly giving us the highlight of our holiday season, and successfully banishing our inner Grinch.
The one thing that is sure to blow away all other efforts to make Christmas mean just a little bit more is this… do something nice for someone you don’t know. It doesn’t need to cost a lot, a dollar in a few Salvation Army kettles, or a box of supplies for the local food pantry goes a very long way, and brings a lot of meaning to a time of year that could easily be reduced to the burden of creating some holiday spirit.
