12/12/2025
A simple act of kindness — gift wrapping for our staff— turned into a beautiful holiday story from Jeanne, one of our volunteers. ❤️✨
"The holidays can crash in on us. Wasn’t it just Thanksgiving? What should I get for my brother-in-law? And bake two dozen frosted cookies for Katie’s party?
I begin to pine for the holidays in the past. Everything was so beautiful. Of course, now I understand that my mom orchestrated the holidays. Between baking and decorating, she disappeared. But she was not resting while enjoying the beverage of her choice. Instead, she was in our damp, smelly basement wrapping presents.
That simply is not acceptable for the hard working HHHC staff. In fact, it is a tradition here for the volunteers to wrap the family presents for staff members! When I arrived as a volunteer wrapper, I discovered a room filled with paper, boxes, gift bags, tape dispensers, and every possible type of label ever made. It was a bounty worthy of Santa’s workshop.
Two families’ gifts were on the large tables with lists to get the labels just right. The first family had gifts for a boy with the same name as my son! This little fellow likes comic collections and Legos just as my boy did, and maybe he still does. The other family was giving serious handyman tools to their son and a pretty skirt to their daughter.
Now they will be able to share more holiday time with their families. As I left, I realized I didn’t need to spend any more time on my plans. The season is suddenly complete. Thankfully, for many days ahead, more volunteers are signed up to share their holiday spirit."
