Left: Bill Salvatore of Arizona Elite Properties. Right: Angela Noel of Gilbert Chamber of Commerce
Eric Severeid was right, I think we all need Christmas.
It’s a glaring understatement I know, but this year has been weird. Clearly it’s not necessary to go into detail, you undoubtedly have your own long list of colorful adjectives for 2020… we need normal for just a minute. We need connection even if we can’t be together. Our world is wrong-side-up and we need that in-your-face good feeling and enthusiasm that is, as a rule, unavoidable during the holidays. We need thoughtfulness and generosity, kindness, and for the sake of sanity, we need tradition.
More than 40 years ago my wife and I began a few seemingly insignificant holiday traditions with our children. The bright red Salvation Army buckets were a priceless introduction to consideration of others, a concept easy for little kids to understand and a simple thing for baby hands to accomplish. In later years, their excitement for choosing a star from the Christmas Angel tree at the Mall, was heartwarming to see. I suspect our daughter secretly just wanted a reason to shop, because that modest custom of choosing one Christmas gift for one child in need, has morphed into an awe-inspiring shopping day with her family of five, after which everything is ceremoniously deposited into the Toys-For-Tots box. Our son recently revealed that at nearly 40, he is, to this day, physically incapable of ignoring a Salvation Army bell ringer.
We moved to Arizona more than 18 years ago and have loved every minute of living here in Gilbert. But admittedly, the Southwest climate makes it difficult to round-up any significant Christmas spirit. Phoenix ZooLights display always helps. Downtown Tempe is beautiful at Christmastime and Luminaria at the Botanical Gardens is not to be missed. But without question, it’s been the town of Gilbert’s Chamber of Commerce that takes us right back to those treasured family traditions.
Each November, the extraordinary employees at the Gilbert Chamber encourage folks living in local Senior housing to fill out a Christmas wish list. The lists are then ‘adopted’ by residents like us, people looking to do something a little Christmasy and pass on a bit of cheer. We’re told that there were 112 lists this year, and every single one was adopted. In lieu of the usual Christmas Party, a holiday breakfast and a goodie-bag of stocking stuffers will be delivered to each Senior’s residence along with the gifts.
Here’s the thing. We all need something good in our lives right now so do something nice this year for someone you don’t know. It doesn’t need to cost a lot… a dollar in a few Salvation Army kettles, or a grocery bag delivered to the local food pantry goes a very long way.
This Thank You Thursday we want to express our gratitude to the staff at Gilbert Chamber of Commerce for their kind and thoughtful Adopt-a-Senior program, and all of their hard work organizing and making it successful. We particularly appreciate the invaluable opportunity to do something nice, the reminder that “we’re here for something else besides ourselves”, and the cherished gift of some much needed Christmas spirit.
