Crisp Bills.

In my heart of hearts I know I'm supposed to be a philanthropist.
The thought comes to me two, three, sometimes even four times in one day.

I think that is why I got so much joy out of watching the garbage man pull the Christmas envelope off the lid of the can yesterday. And tonight, I held the thank you card from our postman in my hands when I came in from work.

We don't give much, in terms of Christmas "tips" to those who make our days and weeks run more smoothly. But we give what we can. And, we do give.

This year, like every other year that we've owned Happy House, I watched the garbage man walk the Christmas envelope to the door of his truck and place it on the seat. Just before he set back out to work - dumping our can and recyclables, he did what he always does:

He turned toward the Happy House, kissed his right fist and held it high to the heavens. Then he gave a wave and a smile in my general direction.

As in years past, this is when I stepped back toward the curtain in the living room - not wanting to be seen. But certain I'd been caught.

I don't even know his name and yet, this annual exchange is one of the most powerful I've come to know in the Christmas season.... and with that, his truck drove out of sight.

***

It is my Dad who taught me that the Christmas envelopes should carry crisp bills (not wrinkly dirty ones). So Dec and I went to the bank yesterday. He pushed the buttons while I navigated through the ATM prompts.

Crisp bills in hand, we ventured home to write out our envelopes. Mostly they just said "thank you" and "merry christmas". Most were in Dec's darling 5-year-old handwriting.

***

For a few years, I sat with Dad at the dining room table in our old house while he wrote the XMAS cards. Several times I was given the job of labeling all his Christmas envelopes in MY handwriting. I proudly stuffed them too, with bills so crisp just looking at them was grounds for a paper cut.

***

Will Dec do the same with his kids?

While he stuffs envelopes alongside his son or daughter will he be thinking:
"It truly is in giving that we receive."

Is that what Dad thought while I worked on the Christmas envelopes alongside him?



I've never thought about it before now.

But I'm pretty certain it was.



(That image isn't mine but I found it here: http://www.noveltieswholesale.com/holidaycheer.html)