The Holiday Spirit

This is about the time of year we get very busy; right now is the "calm before the storm". With two kids and a small business, there is a certain amount of daily chaos. Added to yesterdays mayhem was something that brought a surprising amount of inner happiness.

We are fortunate to have a very nice piece of property. It provides wood to heat our home in the winter, a habitat for wildlife and is a beautiful and peaceful place. The habitat is diverse. There is pine forest, hardwood and wetlands. As in much of Maine, balsam fir grows everywhere. When my siblings and I were young, my dad used to round us all up and we would go out and find our Christmas tree in the woods behind our home. Our family continues that tradition.

About 4 years ago, Cathy thought it would be a nice idea to invite people from town, that couldn't afford to buy a tree or didn't have the resources to cut their own, over to cut their own trees. So, every year, we put a small note in our school newspaper. Some years we have one or two takers, some years none.

This year, in the first day after the note was printed, we received four phone calls.

Yesterday, after school let out, we spent the afternoon walking around our fields and woods with three families, looking for the perfect holiday tree for each of their homes.

It doesn't take much to share something that we take for granted. We shared an hour or two and a few fir trees. Now, a few neighbors can enjoy the holidays a little bit more. Just think about how much better the Holidays would be if we all slowed down just a little and did something nice for a neighbor or two that was having a challenging time.

"Paying it Forward" isn't about waiting for an opportunity to do something nice. It's about creating an opportunity to do something nice. Think about taking that first step; you'll be glad you did.

I'd like to thank my wife for creating this opportunity for us; I'm certainly glad she did.

Update: We received a call from one of our local papers who thought this would be a nice Holiday story. Here's the link.