Christmas Shopping

I had the most fun Tuesday! I went shopping for our Christmas child. You can buy everything at Target a child could want -- such a great store.

I started in the children's department and bought the pants and shirts that were the only thing on the list her mother made. Four pants and five tops in mix and match colors should help a bit. I bought two pairs of jeans with fancy embroidery on the pockets, pink brushed pants, and a pair of navy bell bottoms. Some of the tops looked liked long-sleeved shirts under jumpers.

On to the toy department. With no idea of what this little girl likes, I went for the Fancy Nancy section and the ponies. Every little girl needs a tiara and a magic wand and I always loved horses, so she got a little pony and a stuffed horse that passed the cuddle test. None of these things was expensive.

I hope that the mother went to one of the many charities in Sacramento where toys are provided to get her something else for under the tree. However, I had just come from a lunch at the Stanford Settlement. Operation Cratchit provides toys and holiday food for 700 households. They require pre-application and a ticket to get in to the warehouse on the giveaway days. Many of the local charities use a central computer to be sure each family gets help from only one source. Sister Jeanne told us that they had to turn away families this year, as did the Salvation Army. Even if more toys are donated, there is only so much space to warehouse and display them for the parents to select the best fit for their child. In past years there were always toys to go around for distribution through several agencies. This year, there may not be. There are even more donations. People are being very generous. People who don't have much are trying to do something for those who have even less. This economic downturn seems to be bringing out the best in us. Maybe that is the point of it all.