I do not celebrate Christmas

[Th1onein]

221. I understand that it's not just another day for everyone.

I choose to treat it as just another day, though. It's how I survive it.

I have this friend that I met about two years ago. He was just about homeless, living in an airstream trailer, with no air conditioning (in Texas), and no running water, stove, etc. He came to my house around Christmas, looking for work. I invited him in, gave him work, and money, and got to know him a little bit. He came over on Christmas Eve, in the evening, and stayed until about 11pm. I could see the fear in his eyes that he would be turned down, when he asked me for something--he knew these kids whose parents were drug addicts, who were not going to have a Christmas at all, and he wanted me to buy them Christmas presents.

Of course, the stores weren't open, and even if they were, I was not about to go out on Christmas Eve, to shop. But the next day, I took him to a Walgreens and picked up a few presents for each kid, and something for the mom and dad, and wrapping paper and bows. I took him back to my house, wrapped the presents up, and pu them in a garbage bag, and dropped him off at his friend's house.

It's totally against my principles, of course, because I do not like Christmas, but I do this every year now. There was something about that fear in his eyes, and his asking for something for someone else, that just moved me. I don't want to take that from someone else.