Best gift you GAVE this year

[Ronald_55]

Thought it would be interesting to share.

My Dad is almost 70, retired, but still runs a full time landscaping company. He and Mom still only use wood heat, so he has to cut, split and haul a bunch of wood. I am 2 hours away, so helping out is limited by family and work hours. So I decided the best gift for him was to have a guy deliver and stack 2 ricks of firewood right to his basement door.

I told him to use the free time hunting and fishing

[Sam1]

After being stuck in a hospital for a while as an adult, I can only imagine how much it sucks being stuck there as a child, over the holidays, and possibly being underprivileged on top of all the other problems.  Every year at Christmas I anonymously donate toys to the nearest children's hospital.  This year, thanks to an awesome new store here in Fairview called "Dirt Cheap" I was able to buy over $1500 worth of new toys for $300 out of pocket.  It was everything under the tree, except for a couple of wrapped presents in the back.  You want something to hit you right in the feels?  Try that out next year.

[hipower]

My best gift giving was a couple years back. Wife and I went out to pick up some toys at K-Mart as fillers for some family stockings.

As we pulled in, I noticed a Fire/Rescue crew there collecting toys.

We went inside and started picking things to take back out to them. As we strolled around, I kept seeing more and more ideas, and some really good low prices. Before we really knew it, we had filled 2 carts with balls, bats, dolls, games, cars and trucks, as well as a few other items.

I paid and we went out to hand them over. One of the guys came up and asked which one was for them.

We stopped both carts and told him all. The look on his face was priceless.

We got thanked and hands shook by all of them and walked away quickly. One of them called for us to stop and take a picture.

We declined. Told him we did it for personal reasons, and for the kids. We wanted no praise for something we felt we should do.

I regret that we haven't done it to that extent since. Best feeling I've had in a long time. 

[gun sane]

I have a Jewish friend who comes over to reload from time to time.  Last year he asked me what I wanted for the Christian holiday.  I told him that at the original Christmas, the wise men brought gifts to Jesus; they didn't swap them amongst themselves.  Instead I suggested he make a donation to an area food bank because Jesus said, "when you have done it unto the least of these, you did it unto Me."  (Matt. 25:40)  After doing so, he told me it was the warmest fuzzy he had ever received.

[Chucktshoes]

My in laws have had the same king mattress set for 26 years. Both of them have had back issues over the last few years. We bought them a king size Purple mattress to replace their old one. 

[Sam1]

1 hour ago, hipower said:

I regret that we haven't done it to that extent since. Best feeling I've had in a long time. 

Vandy children's hospital 2017; you have a date. Not many people donate to them because they think there's a ton of money coming in... because it's Vandy.  Unfortunately the kids are on the wrong side of that deal.

[hipower]

9 hours ago, Sam1 said:

Vandy children's hospital 2017; you have a date. Not many people donate to them because they think there's a ton of money coming in... because it's Vandy.  Unfortunately the kids are on the wrong side of that deal.

We do donate to Vandy. My wife works indirectly for them. Many of her friends are there, and we have a close friend who recently retired from the children's wing.

And we do agree with you. It always seems that donations can go astray.

Also, thanks for the lead on your buying source. Next time I'm headed your way, I'll stop and check them out. Can't have enough sources.

Edited December 26, 2016 by hipower

[peejman]

About a month ago I got our boys to go through their toy boxes (yes, plural )  and pick out stuff that was in decent shape that they haven't played with in a while. We ended up with 3 copy paper boxes of toys plus another box of duplo legos. 

We took them to East TN Children's hospital the week before Christmas. I pulled in behind the Marines unloading their Toys for Tots stash and ended up helping carry a few big boxes. 

Now that their Christmas haul is cluttering up the house, I quickly determined the initial purge was woefully inadequate.  There will be a round 2 before long. 

[hipower]

14 minutes ago, peejman said:

About a month ago I got our boys to go through their toy boxes (yes, plural )  and pick out stuff that was in decent shape that they haven't played with in a while. We ended up with 3 copy paper boxes of toys plus another box of duplo legos. 

We took them to East TN Children's hospital the week before Christmas. I pulled in behind the Marines unloading their Toys for Tots stash and ended up helping carry a few big boxes. 

Now that their Christmas haul is cluttering up the house, I quickly determined the initial purge was woefully inadequate.  There will be a round 2 before long. 

I'm in that process as well. We(mostly me) cleaned out a lot of clothes for the flooding victims this year. And I thought I did well emptying my closet.

But upon a second look, I think we will have more as well. Which will be good for some of the local church clothing drives.

Although we will have to pick a new reciepiant, as the Eastminster Church burned a week or so ago.

[A.J. Holst]

We were blessed financially this year, no major expenses, repairs or illness.

It helped us be even more generous with our charitable giving.

We also wanted to be discerning with our giving; local with low admin fees.

Karm, TN children's home, Smoky MTN children's home and children miracle Network/East TN children's hospital were all selected.

It seemed the more we gave, the more we had for our Christmas.

Sheer coincidence makes the opium-of-the-masses just that much better of a high.

 

[peejman]

2 hours ago, hipower said:

I'm in that process as well. We(mostly me) cleaned out a lot of clothes for the flooding victims this year. And I thought I did well emptying my closet.

But upon a second look, I think we will have more as well. Which will be good for some of the local church clothing drives.

Although we will have to pick a new reciepiant, as the Eastminster Church burned a week or so ago.

Oh yeah... also took a garbage bag full of kiddie clothes to the church clothes closet. Our closets could use a little thinning as well. 

[hipower]

32 minutes ago, peejman said:

Oh yeah... also took a garbage bag full of kiddie clothes to the church clothes closet. Our closets could use a little thinning as well. 

Good for you. Most of us, and I'm very guilty of it, seem to accumulate clothes that just don't get worn much.

Me...I'm a sucker for aloha shirts. Buy them and just look at them in the closet. Usually because of my expanding waistline.

 

 

 

[Chucktshoes]

51 minutes ago, hipower said:

CGood for you. Most of us, and I'm very guilty of it, seem to accumulate clothes that just don't get worn much.

Me...I'm a sucker for aloha shirts. Buy them and just look at them in the closet. Usually because of my expanding waistline.

 

 

 

I love me a good Tommy Bahama but I don't get to wear mine much because I'm afraid of screwing them up messing with trailers. 

[peejman]

Heh, we used to have "Hawaiian shirt fridays" where I worked, mostly to annoy our bosses. Technically it was still a button down, collared shirt.