A Twenty Dollar Christmas

(Photo courtesy of Rosemary Gingerich Photographs)

I went Christmas shopping this year with twenty dollars in my pocket to spend on each child.  Not much, I grant you, but I was determined not to let the Scrooge of a tight budget in an economic down-time determine my Christmas spirit and love of giving gifts.  Thinking "outside the mall," I headed to the not-so-trendy part of downtown where the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission kept its warehouse of cast-off treasures.

As I walked through the crowded aisles of old sofas, mismatched bookcases, sad-looking lamps with shades askew, and collection of smudged glassware from the 70's, my eyes were searching for something that would please my loved ones.  It didn't take long for me to find the darling little wing chair (pictured above) that was a perfect fit for my slender daughter's form to curl up in, or the pair of reproduction paintings featuring a quiet street in Paris, and the little book of poetry featuring the writings of Browning, Dickinson, and Rossetti.  And the price for these treasures?  Twenty dollars.

With one child crossed off the list, I still had two more to shop for and lots of Christmas spirit remaining!  I meandered through the spacious building where men (former alcoholics, but now cleaned up and given a new chance at life, similar to the furnishings they were selling) were busily moving furniture, chatting in small groups, and assisting the handful of customers who had come to shop on Chrismas Eve.  Tucked away in a corner, I spotted a wicker picnic basket, complete with leather shoulder strap and filled with pretty utensils for a picnic; a white wicker shelf; a faux marble soap dish; some Italian-looking decorative wall molding; and two vintage CD's - Myles Davis, and a concerto from An American in Paris.  These things were perfect for my firstborn, who has her own apartment and is always in need of accessories.  And all for $20.

I ended my delightful shopping expedition with some camping equipment for my son and as I was paying for my pile of treasures at the cash register, I felt such joy in finding things that were so uniquely perfect for each child and for such a reasonable price I could afford.  I felt double the joy in knowing that my Christmas dollars, though meager, were going to support a good cause and enabled the Rescue Mission to keep bringing in men from the streets and giving them hope to start a new life.

As I drove home that day, I realized it was the best Christmas shopping day I had ever experienced.  And when my kids opened their gifts on Christmas morning, and laughed with delight at the gifts I had chosen, I knew it was the love in my heart they felt more than the amount of money I had spent.  And that price tag was worth way more than 20 dollars!