One of the greatest things about my friendship with Gene was that we understood one another, like a few years ago, when he agreed with me "Christmas has gotten out of hand." No one that I know needs anything for Christmas that will show him or her my love. Best of all, my love does not require batteries and cannot be lost underneath a couch.
At the same time, I feel guilty that I don't have the urge to spoil my loved ones on Christmas. There is this expectation that I should relish a trip to the toy store to pick out gifts for my nieces and nephews, but I don't like crowds, and anything that I would want to give them is too expensive. I always feel a Christmas let down when I am excited about what I got for Christmas and someone else says "I got fancy electronic A, designer B, and cutting edge C." A few years ago, my dog needed knee surgery, so Christmas wasn't that eventful, and this year, she had ear surgery. Fine with me. Some people want a puppy for Christmas; I would rather have my eight year old lab mix be well.
So what I decided to do in lieu of gifts this year is a sizable donation to a charity I have been meaning to donate to for some time. The minute I filled out that PayPal form and put in the amount, I felt hope fill my heart. The donation cannot cure the pain of the family that lost their son way too soon, but I hope to contribute to his memory. I think of grieving people and people facing economic hard times especially this season. If I feel pressured to be happy and spend money, I can only imagine how others feel.
Danny Holt Memorial Fund
