Our family decided to join a few other families who were going to a men's homeless shelter. So on Christmas morning, the 4 of us (my husband and I and our two teenage boys) loaded up presents our church congregation had donated and took them to the shelter.
It was eerie driving around town on Christmas morning. There was no traffic downtown. We passed the Greyhound bus station and there was a father and his teenage son serving hot meals out of the back of their SUV. Then when we rounded the hill, we saw them----hundreds of scraggly, bearded unkemp men huddled on the sidewalk, waiting for a warm meal. We unloaded their presents (toothbrushes, toiletry items, juice and crackers, and gloves), and you would've thought we were giving them a million dollars! They were all so appreciative and thanked us for making their Christmas day brighter.
Someone from church had put together a box of children's backpacks and mittens. We asked the men if they would like one, and their faces lit up. "I could give one of those to my little girl," one said. "My grandson would love that. I can have that? Are you sure?" another asked, pleased that he now could give as well as receive.
Then we went inside and joined the men as they ate their special Christmas dinner volunteers had prepared. Many told us stories about how they had great jobs but had been laid off. Others said they had been sick and had no health insurance. But all of them were optimistic that 2004 would be a better year for them.
As we were cleaning up the tables, we heard a noise outside.
A big truck had pulled up in the driveway and someone was unloading candy---not just any candy, but boxes and boxes of See's Christmas candy. There were solid chocolate Santas, boxes of assorted truffles, and the prettiest candy canes I'd ever seen. The deliverer was a local businessman who had set up a See's Candy booth at the mall ---and this was the candy he had left over on Christmas Eve. He delighted in seeing the faces of the men as he left his donation. As he rounded the corner in his truck, someone yelled, "Merry Christmas, Santa!"
I looked up to see my sons handing out candy, smiling and wishing the men a "Merry Christmas." And I marveled at the contrasts---here you had hundreds of homeless men, happy to have warm gloves and nice candy. And then there were the volunteers----white, nicely dressed residents from the nice suburbs. Regardless of our backgrounds, I'm not sure who was more blessed that day!
It was a Christmas I'll never forget---and I don't think my boys will either. If you get an opportunity to do something unexpected for someone else on Christmas day, I encourage you to. I promise, you'll be truly blessed.
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