2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. In the true spirit of Christmas, the spirit of giving, below are two stories that can touch all of our hearts this season and encourage the gift of giving of ourselves.

Christmas Tree Angel in Michigan

When Michigan resident Chad Rose just happened to have an extra Christmas tree that was used on his business’s parade float, he did what any decent person would do: he posted on Craigslist to give it away for free. After posting the ad, his inbox was immediately flooded with touching stories of why various families deserved to have the tree.

With each e-mail he read, it became clear how significant a simple tree can be in contributing to the holiday aura. One email read, “Having a real Christmas tree would be such a great blessing this year [because] usually we draw a Christmas tree on a large poster and hang it in the corner.” Realizing that $25 towards a tree was too much for some families to spare, Chad went out and bought 40 more to give away for free.

But the good holiday spirit in this story doesn’t stop there — Ann Posont of East Grand Rapids read Rose’s ad and contacted him, not to get, but to give. She offered to donate ornaments and other trimming for the 40 trees he had picked up.

“Going out to gather up more trees after realizing the impact it would have on those in need is just so generous,” she said. “It tells a lot about his character, and makes you want to help.”

College Student Finds A Home Away from Home

While all her classmates were eagerly making plans with family and friends for their trips back home for the holidays, Jackie Turner, a junior at William Jessup University near Sacramento, was worried she would be the only student left on campus for Christmas.

Instead of feeling sorry for herself, the straight A-student posted an ad on Craigslist offering $8/hour to rent parents for the holidays. “Maybe for like a couple hours,” she said, “just be, like, the light of their life for that moment.”

She got dozens of responses to her ad — about half from parents who wanted to help, for free of course — and about half from other young people who felt the same way she did. So, she held a meet up Christmas potluck dinner.

“People are hurting and broken and we need each other,” Jackie said. “We need to be loving people. And I think that’s what tonight’s about.”

Jackie not only found a mentor for herself that holiday season, but matched the needy with the needed. She continues to host yearly meet ups with a potluck Christmas dinner, because no one should ever feel alone on Christmas.

Such touching stories remind all of us of the power of giving. From all of us at The Joseph Group to all of you, may you have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season and may 2021 be a year of healing, brightness, and joy.

 

 

 

Stories excerpted from CamilleStyles.com