It was a gray dreary winter day. The house felt cold and empty, the weather was drizzly, and a rapidly accelerating runny nose was making me look like Rudolph. Some Christmas cheer was in order. It was time to buy my Christmas tree.
The tree farm I bought from last year was already sold out, so I went to our local produce shop where a few trees still stood in the lot. “Sorry, we don’t have any small ones left,” the clerk said. A particularly tall one caught my eye – densely packed pine needles, a star-ready top and a few ice crystals sparkling in its branches. “I have room in my house for a big tree,” I answered. “I just don’t have room in my car to get it there. Thanks anyway,” I called as I headed back through the parking lot.
“Hey, wait a minute,” he shouted after me. “Take ten dollars off that tree and I’ll deliver it for you. I’ll just follow you back to your house.” Ten dollars off and delivery? Tempting, I thought, but isn’t it too much to ask? I rocked from one foot to the other and pushed my hair behind my ears as I considered the generous offer.
“Really,” he said, “we do it all the time. You go pay my wife inside, and I’ll get the truck.” There were other customers on the lot, but he seemed oblivious to them. When I came back outside, a beat-up pickup held my tree perched in its bed. My house was only about two miles away, but it took ten careful minutes to get there. The clerk followed me slowly, taking the turns gently to protect the tree and its branches.
I drove with one eye on the rear-view mirror and thought about how considerate this was. Sometimes, the current state of the world makes me think that kindness is fading away, and it felt good to be reminded otherwise. It occurred to me I should give him a tip, so I started rummaging through my purse and pockets. I rarely carry cash, so there was none to be found. At a traffic light I quickly searched the car- between the seats, on the floor, in the glove compartment, hoping for a forgotten dollar or two. Just as the light turned green, I found a rumpled five-dollar bill and shoved it into my pocket.
We pulled in to my circular driveway, and I drove around to leave the spot in front of the house open for the rickety truck. I helped tug the giant tree out and the generous clerk propped it up next to the front door.
“Thank you so much,” I told him. I fumbled into my pocket for the money but couldn’t remember where I put it. He skipped back to his truck and hopped in. “Wait, I have some cash here somewhere,” I yelled as the truck rattled to life.
“No thanks. You needed some Christmas. If you’ve got to get rid of money give it to the SPCA,” he yelled as he drove off smiling.
I sat on my front steps, smiling too. Was that a hardship for him, I wondered? The truck leaked oil in my driveway, and it sounded rough. Was his wife going to kill him when he got back to the shop, or was she used to this sort of thing? I wondered about it all for a few minutes, but in the end, it didn’t matter.
When I cleared the spot in the living room and wrestled the huge tree into place, the room was a whole light brighter than it had been only a few hours earlier. The Christmas delivery elf reminded me that kindness and generosity are still alive; we just need to pay attention and watch for them. Later that day, a considerate person let me go ahead of him in the grocery check-out line because I only had a few items. And a person I hadn’t seen in a while greeted me with an attentive and genuine “How are you?!” My neighbor’s wave seemed more animated than I recalled, and a fellow traveler on the highway let me merge with a thoughtful flash of his headlights.
So, let’s keep our eyes open, and watch for the goodness all around us. And while we’re at it, let’s generate some, too.
colleen
Colleen, your articles are always so inspiring- thanks for sharing them…..
Thanks you so much for reading and taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate that. Merry Christmas!
Thanks Colleen. I’ve been thinking a lot that it’s the little things that mean so much. What you wrote is another reminder of that. I’ve been thinking about not being able to play my trumpet or sing with the choir at midnight mass this year. I’ve been going to mass lately at a church down the street from where I live instead of my own parish. So the priest has seen me but doesn’t know me. I went to 4pm Christmas Eve mass today. An elderly man sat next to me. I could tell he wanted to recieve communion but didn’t feel like he could stand in line. I felt a nudge which I didn’t ignore. When I recieved communion I asked the priest if I could bring communion to the elderly man next to me. I could see he wasn’t sure. I told him I used to be an Eucharistic Minister and he said okay. So I was able to bring communion to the man who sat next to me who was so grateful. As I sat there after communion I was grateful that I didn’t ignore that little nudge that I felt. It felt like such a small thing but it also felt like a far greater thing I did this year than playing the trumpet. I was exactly where I was supposed to be this year. Once again I am in awe of how God works in our lives! I just have to remember to stay out of the way and let God do the driving. Merry Christmas my friend!
Laura, what a beautiful story and great reminder not to ignore those little nudges God so often send us. It doesn’t take a whole lot to make another person happy. Merry Christmas!
Colleen, thank you for sharing and reminding us of the goodness all around us. I will keep my eyes open! Merry Christmas my friend.
Let us know the goodness you find, Judy. I know it will be in the faces of your grandchildren. Merry Christmas!
Amen to that beautiful post! It’s so easy to get taken up in the negativity of today – in our country, our communities and our world. But there are so many bright spots if we just take the time to look. In our parish, our Christmas Giving Tree gave over 100 people a beautiful Christmas. A community organization we belong to feeds over 3,000 hungry elementary and middle school children over the weekend, when they can’t receive their free meals at school. A good friend spends hours fixing something in our house because my disabled husband can’t. People volunteer at soup kitchens and genuinely engage with the clients, hugs and all! And I know this is happening all over our country – let us continue to shine the light!
And, Colleen, the tree looks great!
Love and Merry Christmas.
Mary
Thanks Mary, the tree has lights but no decorations. Even so, I think it’s lovely too 🙂
And thanks for sharing the good things that are happening in your community. You’re right that goodness is happening all over out country. I am going to work hard this year to concentrate on the good instead of the bad! Merry Christmas and Happy New year!
Love it!