We adopted a family for Christmas, like we do every year. It's not as much fun as you might think, but I seem to forget that every year and then do it again the next year, only to remember that there are always logistical difficulties, among other issues. If you go through a nonprofit, there are often a lot of rules and red tape to get past, which seems strange when you just want to help someone. In your mind, the concept seems so easy. But of course there are privacy concerns, operational difficulties, etc, and so the middleman sometimes gets in the way. Then, with or without the middleman, the recipient family is almost always embarrassed, which leads to communication difficulties. Still, in all the years (over a decade) we've been doing this, I have to say that this year's family is the nicest I've ever worked with. I will meet them face to face tomorrow (or rather, later today, since it's after midnight as I write this). I am not sure exactly how it will go, but I am glad that they want to meet me and are not resentful. It is currently pouring rain, so I imagine it will be a very brief meeting, since I'm delivering the final box outside the management office at their apartment building. I'm impressed with the family mom for being so organized that she got me to take care of this even before Thanksgiving!
Speaking of early Christmas shopping, for some reason I have been kicking myself for not getting to it sooner. I really do prefer to have it all done and wrapped and ready to ship even before Thanksgiving. I do not know why this is bugging me at all, considering that my holiday to-do list is miniscule compared to a lot of other people's. I also feel like I should give myself a break for not being done already, considering that I'm not sure how I could have started sooner even if that wasn't a laughable idea. I mean really, when was I supposed to start preparing? In July, right after having a baby?
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