One Decent Thing

My Father used to say that every asshole is the best friend of someone. It was one of the things that I would just nod to, I had heard this expression many times from him. But he was right. In a surprising move-even to me- I am going to talk about one decent thing that some Walmart stores participate in. It's called an Angel Tree. What it is is a tree with many paper angels on it. On each of these paper angels is the age and sex of a child and some of the things that they would like to have for Christmas. Some of the things break your heart. When a child has to ask Santa for pajamas, it makes me sad. I always try to pick out an angel or two. Sometimes I have a child with me so that they can understand that there are children in the community who are less fortunate then they. Many of these children are only asking for the things that you and I might take for granted. They are asking for warm clothes, warm coats, mittens, and scarves. I am so heart broken for the parents of these children who have to ask a stranger to help them. But to its credit, some Walmarts put these trees up and then at the end of the season, they take up a collection among associates to shop for the angels that might still be on the tree. In some years, they have had adults on these trees, and I have noticed that these are the last of the angels to be chosen. I don't want to sound like a grinch, but there comes a time when you must realize that Santa might not make it this year. Children shouldn't have to learn that lesson while they are still small enough to believe in Kris Kringel. So if you see one of those angel trees, and you are in a position to help, take your children and shop for someone else. It teaches your kids a wonderful lesson about charity, generosity, and what Christmas should be about. And it makes you feel pretty cool too. Trust me on this, you'll thank me later.