This post was originally published on November 30, 2011. But I felt that it needed sharing again, just as a reminder that we all have the ability to make a small impact on someone’s life.
Now that holiday season is in full swing, there’s no shortage of people asking for money. I’ve already discussed how I manage the holiday creep. But this story is a little different. This is a story about how I, along with 3 friends, changed Christmas for one family. We didn’t do it because we wanted anything in return. We didn’t do it because we felt overwhelmed with the holiday spirit. We didn’t do it because we needed a year-end tax break. No, we did it because this was a hardworking, kind family with 2 parents doing all they could to provide for their kids and Christmas wasn’t in the budget. There was no way we were going to allow this family to forgo Christmas. So we changed it.
First, a little background about the family. At this time, they were a married couple with 4 children (they’ve since added one more). For years, she was a stay at home mom and he worked in a hospital as an X-ray tech I believe. They owned a modest house in rural Indiana and were doing fine. Then he lost his job. The family had to obtain food stamps and Medicaid (if I remember correctly). They worked themselves into debt trying to pay bills on his new salary as a fast food worker. She gave up being a SAHM and went to work in a school cafeteria. The money was enough to keep them afloat but it didn’t leave a lot of room for extras.
She took to a money forum to learn how to control her spending, pay down debt and manage their finances. Watching her progress in her thought process and money management skills was incredible. She came so far in such a short time that it broke my heart reading the desperation in her words when she would talk about Christmas. She wanted to so much to provide for her kids but in her heart of hearts, she knew she couldn’t. Enter me.
Having been in a situation where I didn’t know how I was going to provide Christmas and/or Hanukkah gifts for my child, I couldn’t bear the thought of someone else being in that position. So I got the idea that I would adopt her family. Except I couldn’t do it myself. I enlisted 3 other women from our forum and together, the 4 of us adopted this family. Since there were 4 kids, we each became Santa’s little helper for 1 of them. And because the parents worked so damn hard, we gifted the couple with something. I also snuck a little gift for the mom into my package.
At first it seemed like it would be a daunting task. I wasn’t sure that the other women would agree to do it but sure enough, they did. Once I had the crew assembled, I contacted the mom to let her know what was going on. I didn’t want to insult her and I was so worried that I might. To my sheer delight, she was not only not insulted, she tried to convince me that they didn’t deserve it (guess who won that debate?). From there, we were able to collect a list of the children’s likes and interests and clothing sizes. We each used our own judgment and budget guidelines when selecting the gifts, and we tried to stagger the arrival of the packages so nothing seemed conspicuous to the kids (2 of them were roughly preteen age at the time).
To make sure that the parents didn’t feel totally left out, we made sure to leave all the gifts unwrapped. By letting them wrap the gifts, it gave them that sense that they could still do something for the kids (also, it let them preview the gifts so that they were not totally surprised and they could screen for anything they might not approve of). When she sent me the email that all of the packages had arrived, I breathed a sigh of relief that everything had gone smoothly and as planned.
The words of gratitude that I received after Christmas reinforced to me that not only had we done a good thing, but that we had picked a very deserving family. Working in the field that I work in, it’s easy to see families fail to appreciate what it done for them. They feel almost entitled to it. But not this family. To this day, she still feels that they weren’t deserving of what we did. Let me put that to rest. They were. They absolutely were. And she still tells me what a difference we made to their family that year and how that gesture continued to give them hope and reassurance that things were bound to get better.
I know what we did was not a grand gesture or elaborate or even that expensive. But knowing it made a difference to that family, even for just one year, was absolutely worth it. And, if given the chance, I’d do it all over again.
Grayson @ Debt Roundup says
This is a great story Jana. It is nice to see that you are willing to help someone out without anything in return. That is the true holiday spirit. Thanks for re-posting this again!
Grayson @ Debt Roundup recently posted…Weekly Personal Finance Blog RoundUp – 11/30/2012
Leslie says
I love the article! Maybe you’re missing a word in the title though… A different what?
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John S @ Frugal Rules says
Great post Jana! Thanks for re-sharing this. We had a similar situation a few years ago with some dear friends and I know it meant more than words to them. I agree that I would do it in a heartbeat again and really is worth it.
John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted…Giveaway: Four Simple Ways to Save Money on Groceries
Jana says
It really is worth it. I know we’re supposed to give selflessly but it’s hard to ignore the warm, fuzzy feeling you get from doing something nice.
Shannon-ReadyForZero says
You’re awesome Jana, what a wonderful thing to do for this family! I’m sure they were beside themselves with joy knowing a complete stranger wanted to make their Christmas better. What you did is something they’ll likely never forget and that’s the best gift you can give.
Shannon-ReadyForZero recently posted…Dealing with Debt as a Couple
David says
Jana,
This is awesome, and I hope you commit to doing it every Christmas since you know you will benefit as much as these families do. I learned quite a few years ago to always contribute in some “major” way (re: not only $2- in the Sally Ann kettle outside the liquor store) and it always makes me feel amazing. I take my son (now 16) to the mall and pick out presents from the “gift trees” for a couple of kids each year, and play Santa at at least one charity event each Christmas; believe me, these events are some of my most memorable and best parts of my holiday. Keep up the good work Jana~!
Jana says
David, I would love to do it every Christmas if I my budget permits. I think next her we’re going to adopt a family, if possible. This one was even better because it was so personal. Which, to me, makes a huge difference.
David says
Jana, that’s awesome! The key is to do something- anything – that you are able to do (able being a key word, and budget certainly does put some restrictions on that at times) and you do that. Budget is one of the reasons I play Santa at a charity event; it’s a way to contribute without having to fork over more cash.
Keep up the good work! You are one of my favourite writers and bloggers!
Diane says
There are posts like this that reconfirm your belief in humanity. Whenever you have a bad day, just reflect on this one moment. Not very many people would have actually done what you had did here.
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