Holiday Cheer

Hello, fellow bloggers.

It's been a few days. I hope most of you are off doing Christmas things with family and friends. If you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you are STILL off doing things with family and friends, and enjoying the holiday season.

My life has mostly been filled with, well... work. 50-55+ hours a week for the past few weeks. The holiday season, unfortunately, is not a slow time for my profession. People stealing, fighting, arguing, shooting and stabbing each other.... gets tedious at times, but it certainly provides job security.

On the way to work this morning, I stopped at the local donut shop where I sometimes get coffee. There are two old fellas who meet there, just about every single morning of the year. They are both retired, probably both in their 70's or better. One fella rides one of those electric Lark or Rascal scooters, and has an oxygen tank with him. The other seems healthier, but still, quite old. They're always chipper and happy. I don't think I've ever seen them down or depressed.

They always say hello to me, ask me "hey, how's crime pay nowadays?" at least once a week. The older fella talks about his fishing trips with his grandkids, or about how much things cost nowadays. You know, old people conversation.

So, today I decided to wish them Merry Christmas tomorrow, without even being there. The donut store owner and his wife know me since I'm there enough. I gave the donut store owner $5 and told him that, the next time they come in (which I'm pretty sure will be tomorrow, Christmas), their donuts and coffees are on me. The donut store owner said they only spend $3.75 between them, every morning. I told the donut store owner not to tell them who did it, just wish 'em Merry Christmas. He smiled, nodded. You bet, mista. Merry Christmas.

Christmas, for me, is the time for being extraordinarily nice... out-of-the-ordinary nice. Gifts can be bought any time of the year, and for the most part, I AM nice most of the year. But there's something about Christmas which makes such gestures of kindness just a little bit sweeter to the recipient.

After all, Jesus gave his entire life, I think I can give $5, or an hour or two extra of my time.

I have to work tomorrow, on Christmas. Crime doesn't stop for holidays. I'm gonna go in an extra hour early and see if I can relieve a co-worker early and let them get home to their family just a little sooner.

God Bless you all, and I wish everyone who wants one, a Merry Christmas!