Letter from the editor
December 13, 2004
Last year, I went to the mall on the day after Thanksgiving, which is, of course, the most frenzied shopping day of the year. The stores are flooded with rampant consumers bent on saving a bucks and getting giveaways. I did my Christmas shopping in record time, in spite of all the people, and then headed toward the Giving Tree to partake in my favorite tradition.
Ever since my parents introduced me to the concept behind a giving tree as a little girl, I have made selecting a needy person and getting him or her a gift a part of my holiday. I don't just select any random person; instead, I look for a small child who requests a stuffed animal. I remember how much I loved stuffed animals as a child, and I hope to bring the same joy to someone else each year.
Last year was different. I found a person asking for a stuffed animal, but it wasn't a small child. Instead, an 87-year-old woman wanted a stuffed animal for Christmas. My eyes welled up with tears - I could imagine a lonely elderly lady needing something cuddly to hug in the middle of the night. I grabbed her card from the Giving Tree, and bought her the softest teddy bear I could find.
The nameless, faceless woman from the Giving Tree is what, or rather who, the holiday season is all about. It's about appreciating what we have and sharing the riches we appreciate in our lives with others.
This year's edition of The Holi-Daily is filled with stories to help readers recapture the spirit of the season. Here's to a happy holiday.
Comments
Post a comment
You are not currently logged in. You must log in using your Facebook account to post a comment. It's fast, easy, and we don't store any of your personal information, except your first and last name when you post a comment.
Why?
Our old comment system was abused to leave racist, sexist, fradulent, or simply useless comments. We're hoping this verification step will improve the quality of our comments.
I don't have a Facebook account. I'd like to verify my identity using my MySpace/Google/Yahoo!/OpenID/SSN/주민등록번호/MasterCard.
Let us know. We're open to suggestions. Over the next few weeks, we'll be testing other authentication methods.
The FBI/CIA/TSA/CoS/Emmert is out to get me! I need to stay anonymous!
We're working on a way to allow this. If you have any ideas, email us.
I think this website is ugly.
It's going to be a work in progress all summer, so it may look and act differently from week to week. If you want to influence this process, email us. We read every email, and respond to most of them.