Decorating and Giving

I've spent the last several years simplifying my Holiday decorating. In fact, up until my Mom got too ill to travel, I didn't decorate inside my home at all, since I and my daughter, would be in Washington with my Son and his family. After my Mom got too ill, I purchased a small tabletop tree and pulled out some of my old decorations.

Today, my Aunt and I decorated our home. I have a very small collection of Santas, but my Aunt has some wonderful Santas. We still have a tabletop tree, but there are lots of Christmas bears and ceramics, as well as stuffed bears. It took all morning to trade out the regular bears for Christmas ones, and there are still lots of boxes in the basement untouched. I also have things in storage that I probably haven't even thought of in years.

When I was still married and my children were young, my ex-husband and I would put up 2 trees, one upstairs and one down. We also put up lights. It was a lot of work, but we enjoyed the results. I'm not nearly as enthusiastic as I used to be. Maybe that's because there's no young children around the house.

I still enjoy the Christmas season, but I think it may be time to change my focus a little. I'm not quite ready to serve dinner to the homeless, but I think something like that is in my future. I've been aware of an organisation called Heifer International for several years. I've often thought of donating to them. They provide the poor, mostly in undeveloped countrys, a way to help themselves by giving them livestock like cows or goats or chickens and ducks. This gives them a way to feed their families and down the line be able to sell baby goats or eggs to help themselves and ultimately, their neighbors and villages. This has always seemed to me, to be the ultimate way to offer help to the needy. I kept thinking that I needed to buy a whole cow or something and couldn'y afford it. I still can't afford a whole cow or llama, but I can afford one or even two shares of a goat, or a flock of chicks, or seeds for planting. This year, I will put my money where my mouth is.

Anyone who is interested in donating, or just wants more info can go to http://www.heifer.org