I looked out at the pile of more than 1500 toys covering an area as big as a volleyball court, and was filled with absolute joy.
Christmas is my favorite time of the year, not just for the holiday music, hot chocolate or storefront windows, but because of annual “angel trees.” In my small hometown, we had a store where you could choose an ornament on the tree that had the age and gender of an anonymous child in the area. Now living in DC, I’ve become involved in a major Angel Tree that aims to distribute 3500 toys. Over the weekend I handed out the ornaments and spent a few hours sorting the hundreds of gifts we’ve already received. I was overwhelmed with the kindness of strangers – hundreds of people donating gifts to inner-city kids they’d never meet. The mountain of toys was a sight I’ll never forget.
In two weeks, I’m with the group loading up 1700 of the gifts into a Uhaul and having a party at a community center. One of the guys warned me about the area, and I’m actually really excited to go there. To give an example…the drive thrus are like those from my time in LA. They don’t open the 2-inch thick Plexiglas window to give you food, but instead give it to you through a lazy susan. I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous, but I can’t wait to go there. These are communities where people feel forgotten by society, and to be able to show them that someone cares, even if just for a few hours on a Saturday morning, is quite the privilege.
Tonight I went shopping for my two “angels.” Of course for the little girl I had to be hip and get a Bratz doll instead of a Barbie, but it was difficult finding one that wasn’t dressed like a hooker. I also got a sweet truck for the little boy that when you smash in the front bumper, it ‘crashes’ and falls apart. Too cool!! I was disappointed by the lame selection of Matchbox cars, so instead of buying a sports car I went with a tribute to Kansas and bought a tractor.
And not gonna lie, I purposely chose one angel as a 6-8 girl so I could give her a Word Girl comic book.
