In the Spirit of giving... 1 1

[Robot Man]

I was recently kindly gifted with two cool comics from fellow board members Gregd and Faster Friends. Thanks so much guys! This made me think how I could give back here too.

I'm not a big Christmas guy, Halloween is my thing. My little grandaughter has brought back some of the spirit of Christmas and wonder.

[Robot Man]

So, in the Spirit of Giving, 'ole Robot Man has dug deep into the junk pile and found a couple of cool ones to offer up free of charge!

Now, what comics say Christmas better than Carl Barks? Nothing like curling up with a copy of "Christmas for Shacktown" or "Christmas on Bear Mountain" in front of the fire on Christmas eve?

So I offer up a couple of Barks Christmas goodies to you. WDCS #124 and a copy of, yes, "A Christmas on Bear Mountain". Now, don't get excited, they aren't CGC 9.8, just readers. Bear Mountain is even coverless but complete and readable and the first appearance of Uncle Scrooge!

All you gotta do is tell me a good story of how you gave to some one else at Christmas. How you made someone's day a little happier. Best story by 5:00 Sunday (Pacific time) will get these two classics sent out free, postage paid by me (sorry only to a US address, I ain't any more giving than that)...

Now, a picture of you (or your hand if you are camera shy) dropping off a toy at Toys for Tots or Salvation Army might just win it hands down...

[vaillant]

Giving at Christmas? Hmm… Specifically at Christmas, not sure. I try to give when I can but who knows?
This post reminds me I need to be more generous (not just materially, mind you).

I would love to have "A Christmas on Bear Mountain" but I am sure there are people which deserve it a lot more than I, especially if they are not familiar with the story. 

Edited December 16, 2017 by vaillant

[Robot Man]

Here's the kind of thing I'm looking for...

Many moons ago when I was in high school and in a rock 'n roll band, my bandmates and I thought it would be cool to give something of our selves at Christmas. We decided to have one of those epic So Cal backyard parties and play for free. Well almost free, we required a donation of a few bucks, canned food or what ever as admission. Now the lure of hot babes, a little beer and some loud rock 'n roll music really brought 'em out. We did pretty well.

We went to a local church and got the names and addresses of a couple of needy families, dressed up as elves and Santa, loaded up an El Camino went on our way. Now mind you, we had it thought out. We had trees, decorations, turkeys and food as well as toys for the kids and even a couple bottles of hootch somebody swiped from their parents!

Pulled up to the first house and rang the doorbell and the family was shocked to see a bunch of long haired hippies dressed as elves and loaded with goodies. In we went with our booty, sang them a Christmas Carol and off we went into the night. We hit 3 families. Got a lot of hugs, kisses and tears. We hit 3 families that night. One of the best Christmas's I can remember!

To this day, I still do a little something from spending a little time in a food kitchen or just donating a couple toys to toys for tots. This year, me and a couple friends are going to a retirement home with our guitars and a couple fruitcakes or something for an hour or so and putting on a little show. Christmas is for kids and old folks who have little joy in their lives.

What have you done for someone else or will do this year?

 

[Robot Man]

So, here are the beaters, I am offering up. Bring it boardies. Hopefully, this inspires you a little at the holidays!

[Robot Man]

And this is kinda fun, Blakely peeking under the door at her mom wrapping Christmas presents. This stuff is what the holidays are all about.

[vaillant]

That (your story) was awesome…

What I meant is that generally I try not to wait specifically for Christmas time to give some of my time when I can.
I periodically go to a retirement home to meet a friend of mine (aged 92) and some of the men and women I got acquainted while I visied him. This reminds me I must do it again before Christmas!
(And another thing, so thanks for reminding me!)

[Robot Man]

2 minutes ago, vaillant said:

That (your story) was awesome…

What I meant is that generally I try not to wait specifically for Christmas time to give some of my time when I can.
I periodically go to a retirement home to meet a friend of mine (aged 92) and some of the men and women I got acquainted while I visied him. This reminds me I must do it again before Christmas!
(And another thing, so thanks for reminding me!)

Giving to others should be all year long. Something about the holidaze just reminds us of others that are not as well off as we are. I am, as you can see very blessed. I taught this to my kids and they give a lot more than they take. VERY proud of them!

[vaillant]

Of course it is, Christmas and Easter are the main festivities not by chance – I just meant that unfortunately I did not have specific "stories" related to Christmas.
Well, once here on the boards I sent a few "gifts" to board friends which were ill or the like, or donated in the threads, but not around Christmas as far as I remember.

[ivrimark]

Is "Operation Blue Santa" just an Austin (Texas) thing?  Every year starting on Oct/Nov the city police and a boatload of volunteers collect donated (new) presents, wrap 'em, box 'em up, and distribute them to needy families.  Today was distribution day!  Always fun to carry a big box up to someone's door and see the kids peeping out from behind a skirt, wondering "where did this guy come from, and what's in that big box for me?"

Don't have a picture of me in action, but I got a sticker (and a free doughnut).  I ate the doughnut, but here's a pic of the sticker, with an appropriate comic in the background.

'Tis the season, indeed.  But Claudio's right -- make that Spirit of Giving last 365 days a year.  Thanks for reminding us, Robot Man!

[porcupine48]

I don't wish to enter the contest(a very sweet gesture by Robot) but i'll share a story.

For years I worked downtown at an all night diner as a waiter/supervisor on pretty much one of the scariest corners here in Capitol City.The Salvation Army shelter was two doors down,the Shepherds of Good hope was a block one way,and the Mission two blocks the other.I saw a lot of things going on there every single shift I worked,especially if I was on third shift.I also made a lot of friends and aquaintances...and got to know some real unfriendly folks.

Well,being open 24/7 we were open Christmas.And we were busy.Not many places open for dinner and drinks here outside of Chinatown.So,I always worked the breakfast and lunch shift 6AM-3PM.It was crazy the whole time,most people were grumpy,we had to have a security guard at the doors.But the tips were pretty good.Very good actually.There was also a LOT of cold and miserable people just outside those warm doors,many that were turned away from the shelters,even on Christmas day.People that had companion animals,or folks with strikes against them for behavior,some that just couldn't handle the shelters.My father spent some time in one of these places at the end of his life(he was put in hospice there due to chronic alcoholism),and i've had many friends pass through them.They can be violent,frightening places,many folks with mental illness just couldn't handle it.

So,to help maybe bring some comfort to these folks,after my shift,before going to dinner(this was when I still had family around) i'd walk around the neighbourhood and say hello to the folks I knew,giving each a bit of money as I could.Ten,twenty dollars,until i'd passed out a little more than the tips I would make on a regular shift.Over the years I did this,I probably handed out more than a thousand dollars.Now,I know most of this money was likely spent on things other than food..I never had any doubts on that.But at least the hustle got to be a little less for these men and women for a little bit.Life on the street is hard,I know,I was a street kid as a teenager.My father ended his life December 15th.I know what it's like to be lonely at Christmas,to feel despair on a day we don't wish anybody to.

Hopefully I brought some light to some folks with that.I at least hope I helped ease some pain.Some,a few,I still see and speak with.A few made it out and live near me now and are doing well.Many,well,a good many are gone.

I wish all of you a merry,safe Christmas full of love and warmth this year,and for many to come.

[walclark]

Great stories so far.  I’m sure many people go out of their way to do special things at this time of the year and all year long.  I also don’t want to participate in your contest (although it is very generous of you) and I don’t want to sound like I’m blowing my own horn, but today was a great Christmas experience for me.

Just back from a very rewarding volunteer experience...spent five hours helping out at the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree warehouse.  The UT Alumni Association put out a call asking for help and Vol Nation showed why we are the Tennessee Volunteers as dozens of Volunteers showed up decked in orange.  It was both a heartwarming and heartbreaking experience at the same time.

Heartwarming to see the dozens of Vols that came out, pitched in, and made a difference.  Heartwarming to see literally thousands of toys, clothes, shoes, diapers, etc. donated by the good people of middle Tennessee to make sure that every kid possible (and seniors, too) got at least something for Christmas.

Heartbreaking to see that there were literally thousands and thousands of bags, each representing a family in need, covering the floor of a giant warehouse.  And heartbreaking to see that SO many of the kids weren’t asking for toys, but for coats, shoes, socks, underwear, blankets, and sheets.

While we live in the greatest and wealthiest nation on the planet, an experience like this reminds me that there is much more that we could and should do.  No child in America should be asking Santa for a blanket for Christmas.

[KirbyJack]

My sister has all of us helping out with her cause; one of the neediest Indian reservations in the country. Our buy lists always include food, warm clothes, and blankets. 

I'm reminded of a line from Gandhi, "Poverty is the worst form of violence".

[ivrimark]

2 hours ago, porcupine48 said:

I don't wish to enter the contest(a very sweet gesture by Robot) but i'll share a story.

For years I worked downtown at an all night diner as a waiter/supervisor on pretty much one of the scariest corners here in Capitol City.The Salvation Army shelter was two doors down,the Shepherds of Good hope was a block one way,and the Mission two blocks the other.I saw a lot of things going on there every single shift I worked,especially if I was on third shift.I also made a lot of friends and aquaintances...and got to know some real unfriendly folks.

Well,being open 24/7 we were open Christmas.And we were busy.Not many places open for dinner and drinks here outside of Chinatown.So,I always worked the breakfast and lunch shift 6AM-3PM.It was crazy the whole time,most people were grumpy,we had to have a security guard at the doors.But the tips were pretty good.Very good actually.There was also a LOT of cold and miserable people just outside those warm doors,many that were turned away from the shelters,even on Christmas day.People that had companion animals,or folks with strikes against them for behavior,some that just couldn't handle the shelters.My father spent some time in one of these places at the end of his life(he was put in hospice there due to chronic alcoholism),and i've had many friends pass through them.They can be violent,frightening places,many folks with mental illness just couldn't handle it.

So,to help maybe bring some comfort to these folks,after my shift,before going to dinner(this was when I still had family around) i'd walk around the neighbourhood and say hello to the folks I knew,giving each a bit of money as I could.Ten,twenty dollars,until i'd passed out a little more than the tips I would make on a regular shift.Over the years I did this,I probably handed out more than a thousand dollars.Now,I know most of this money was likely spent on things other than food..I never had any doubts on that.But at least the hustle got to be a little less for these men and women for a little bit.Life on the street is hard,I know,I was a street kid as a teenager.My father ended his life December 15th.I know what it's like to be lonely at Christmas,to feel despair on a day we don't wish anybody to.

Hopefully I brought some light to some folks with that.I at least hope I helped ease some pain.Some,a few,I still see and speak with.A few made it out and live near me now and are doing well.Many,well,a good many are gone.

I wish all of you a merry,safe Christmas full of love and warmth this year,and for many to come.

[Badger]

I'll play!

This year's annual Toys for Tots drive was being solicited at our neighborhood Walmart.  Right in front of the big sliding doors, there is this glum looking gentleman in full Army dress uniform standing next to the table.  He looked every Walmart customer in the eye, as they entered the store, and said Merry Christmas.  Nothing more, nothing less. Unless someone stopped to ask a question, like my wife and I did, he stands at parade rest, making eye contact with all of the adults, and says. "Merry Christmas."  Over and over. As hundreds of people walk past him, his sign, and his table and he greated them all with a neutral expression and a "Merry Christmas."

This gentleman stood out. Imagine a cross between Edward James Olmos and Lee Ermy standing, in full dress uniform, with hardly a smile next to a folding table and a Toys for Tots sign.  Now outside that Walmart, all along the side walk next to the fire lane, there were also a handful of empty shopping carts arrayed in front of his table, also labeled Toys for Tots,  Curious, we asked what the carts were for and he said, "Why they are there for all the donated toys so that we can show the generosity of all of our good neighbors."  Again, no smile and hardly any inflection in what he says.  Is he mad, sad, or just channeling drill sergeants of Christmas past?

This scene struck me as sad and not at all Christmasy so I continued on into Walmart with a slight scowl contemplating what to do. Looking back over my shoulder, I see that the gentleman returned to parade rest and his stern face croaked out, "Merry Christmas", once again and to all.  Faintly bothered by the scene, my wife and I continued about our shopping hardly speaking as we are both lost in thought.  Briefly leaving my wife, I detour to the toy isle where I grab a Hot Wheels gift set which I toss into our cart.  I then turned to my wife, Toni, and asked, "Sweetheart, would you like to pick out a toy to donate?"  To my surprise she said, "No.", and we check out.  On our way to our car, we place the Hot Wheels package in a box on the gentleman's table where we receive a small smile, a nod, and "Merry Christmas." The smile ignites a glow in me as I step a little lighter; happy in my good dead.

Returning home, I'm feeling good that we donated to the cause.  Toni still is not saying much so I hardly notice when she disappears.  I take notice though when loud crunching, bashing, and all around hootin' and a hollerin' come from our garage.  With nary a thought to my own safety, I run outside looking for the chaos that roused me from my philanthropic self-musings and congratulations.  What I find is Toni literally waist deep in plastic containers spread throughout our garage.

A little back story: Toni was a Beanie Baby fanatic in the 90s and early 2000s.  Her and her mother bought multiples of every stuffed critter put out by that slight wack job stuffed toy genius Ty Warner.  Somehow, all of those wonders of fluff, soft fabric, and Chinese labor ended up in our garage where they sat from the time of Beanie Baby (The) End until now.  Now, the almost a dozen green plastic storage boxes stacked to the ceiling were spread across the garage floor with Beanies of every type being sorted and tossed into other containers.

Toni had a plan.  She loaded her car with half a dozen containers holding hundreds of stuffed toys and drove back to the gentleman with the beret and empty shopping carts.  Arriving in front of Walmart, Toni parked in the fire lane slightly ahead of the carts and probably 20 feet from the folding table.  Jumping out of the car, Toni opened the back doors and began to drag the plastic containers out.  One by one, she went from the car to the carts, from the carts to the car, dumping the hundreds of toys into each formerly empty shopping cart.  Onlookers gasped as they slowly realized what was happening and Children, crying out in glee, ran up to the carts to pick up the stuffed animals.  Excitement gripped the crowd which finally attracted the notice of the gentleman in full dress uniform.  As Toni loads the last of the, now empty, containers back into her car, he jumps forward to stop traffic so that Toni can pull away safely.  As we leave the fire lane, we hear him cry out, "Merry Christmas and Thank you!"

So, you probably think my story, which I admit has a few embellishments but I swear the core is true, is about how my wife brought Christmas Happiness to the gentleman at Walmart. Well, it is, of course, but it is also a story of why I am happily married to Toni.  Every year she surprises me with her kindness and generosity when every year it should become more impossible and improbable for her to do so.  Our 25th anniversary is next year and once again, she has brought the Christmas spirit to me and others.  I saw your generous offer of free Carl Barks books and I knew I had to write this story so that she would have a chance of special Christmas magic herself.  

 

 

Edited December 17, 2017 by Badger
formally formerly

[vaillant]

I liked the story a lot, Badger. Thank you.
And I am intrigued by the "Army gentlemen": what’s in the heart of this mysterious, professional character? God knows. 

[Robot Man]

Not many "givers" here... 

What's a fella gotta do to give away free Barks Christmas comics?  

Ya got 'till 5:00 pm pacific time to confirm my faith in the Christmas spirit. 

[porcupine48]

1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

Not many "givers" here... 

What's a fella gotta do to give away free Barks Christmas comics?  

Ya got 'till 5:00 pm pacific time to confirm my faith in the Christmas spirit. 

I tried to give,just didn't feel right taking 

[jimjum12]

All I've got are a couple of Ghost Riders Motorcycle Club Toy Drives that I can only barely remember .... GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

....it's about the kids I guess...... keeping them happy 

Edited December 17, 2017 by jimjum12

[Robot Man]

OK, this was very hard. Everyone of you have shown the true spirit of Christmas and are blessed for doing so. I appreciate all of you sharing with us all.

Since, I know you guys and am having a hard time figuring who to send these books to, I asked my hot Mrs. Claus to read these posts and make the decision since she doesn't know any of you. She also suggested the critera of what I should use to do this give=a=way.

The winner (weather he wants it or not), is porcupine48. I have decided to send it out of country on my dime. Merry Christmas. Please send me your mailing address again and I will get these out in the mail tomorrow so you will hopefully get it in time for the man in the big red suit!

Thanks again to all who participated and told us wonderful stories of giving. You are all winners in my book.

Happiest and healthiest Christmas and New Year to all of you!