Holidays are not about gifts, plus work for the future

So, I have decided to take advantage of this soapbox, er blog, to offer up an op-ed piece.  My opinions may not reflect the opinions of other members or friends of the Garden, and that is cool because diversity is what makes our Garden grow.

---

Holidays are not about gifts.

Thanksgiving is probably one of the more "pure" holidays, tho not celebrated outside of the USA (at least not at the same time with the same name nor for the same supposed reasons). Thanksgiving is about bringing family, friends, and community together for a celebratory meal and being thankful for just being alive and surrounded by love.  At least, that is my take on it.  I will not speak of Christopher Columbus and his atrocities nor of the fiction of Indians and Pilgrims.  Remember, most of history class was a not-so-thinly-veiled lie. Point being, Thanksgiving is for giving thanks and sharing love, and if your feast is just a cup of warmth and a cookie, so be it.

Hanukkah (your spelling may vary) is meant to be a reminder of a miracle.  Break it down to it's core...  time with loved-ones.

Kwanzaa (no idea if I spelled this correctly, my apologies) is, to my understanding, about cultural pride.  What is it really?  Time with loved-ones.

Yule is a reminder that the Sun will return and that we have not been forsaken to eternal Winter (a recurring miracle)....  and time with loved-ones.

Christmas is a reminder of another miracle (see a theme?) in the form of a sweet innocent baby (all of you theologians just shut up about Christmas and Yule being same holiday, that is a whole 'nother op-ed piece).  Again... time with loved-ones.

If I have missed your personal fall/winter holiday, my apologies, but I think most would agree that it comes down to time with loved-ones.

Every holiday meal or celebration that I attend, I have but one goal... HUGS!  Sure, the food, conversation, and maybe gifts are nice... and I love all the candles and sweet smells, but the human connection is the heart of it all and really all we need.

So, please, stop worrying about making sure you have just the perfect gift for everyone you love!  Let them know how important they are to you and give them a hug (unless they squirrel away from your invasion of their personal space, then just let them know how important they are to you).

The Beatles were not too far off with the lyrics, "all you need is love".

---

Now, as for my work for the future...  As many of you may be aware, I am one of those bleeding hearts (any doubts at this point?) who just want to make people feel a little better in the simplest ways possible, and I loosely devised (with the help of my proverbial partners in crime) a plan to reach out to the homeless in our community.  This is currently dubbed The Garden Homeless Project and is in its infancy (like the sweet baby Jesus).  The endgame is to be able to set up once, maybe twice, each year as we head into colder weather to distribute hats, gloves, scarves, coffee, cocoa, and sweets such as cookies to the homeless in downtown Lexington.  Phoenix Park would be a prime spot.

Of course, this is going to be a lot of work and a little bit of legalities.  I would like a bit of the "homemade" love to be in each piece we distribute, even if it isn't entirely homemade.  I have already begun collecting fleece and yarn to turn them into loving warmth.  We can really use donations to acquire more.  It is often better to purchase supplies of fabric goods for crafting because of the fear of bed bugs or lice, etc., than to widely accept the the fabrics themselves as the donation. A thought just occurred to me that tags attached to each piece with a nod to its creator and the project would be a nice personal touch.  (So much brainstorming still going on, you see.)

Nonetheless, if you would like to help out with ideas, time, skills, cash, or cheerleading, please let me know.  I can be reached thru our main email: GardenSourceSC@gmail.com. Just put "homeless" somewhere in the subject line.  Paypal donations can also be sent to that same email with a note that it is for the homeless project (otherwise it will be placed in our main coffers).

This idea is, as many are, just a band-aid on a much larger problem.  I have no delusions about that.  But I intend to work throughout the year so that next holiday season we can share some face-to-face with people who need a smile and a hug during one of the hardest times of their lives.  I have been homeless, tho only briefly in the greater scheme, and I want to give hope and love because I know what I have to be thankful for now.

---

"For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully as I am fully known. Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love."  ~I Corinthians 13:12-13~ (from the Holman Christian Standard Bible)