Yesterday I boxed up all the presents for out of town family, addressed, and took them to the Post Office. There was no getting from the car to the sidewalk, as the parking spaces were sheer ice. I debated whether to try to take both boxes at once, or have to make two trips, and finally took both boxes. I had to shuffle down the middle of the street to the corner and then edge across the gutter until on dry pavement. My high school science teacher, rather a smart aleck, asked what was the name of that dance I was doing, and I said, "It's called I broke my ankle last winter and don't want to again!" He accepted that as a good name! A nice person held the door for me, which I could not have opened.
Then I went to the thrift store. My accomplishment last year was to repair and give 40 used books to eight children. My goal this year is 55 books to eleven children. One family adopted a child spending its first Christmas with them, and another family with two children has been participating more, so not only do I have more to do, I have less time to do it. Last year I worked up until we had to leave for Christmas Eve Service, 10 p.m., but this year as Christmas is on a Sunday we have to leave at 4:00 p.m. I was short on little kids' books. One boy is three and one is six. So I went to the thrift store and picked up several.
Today I went through the box of books I keep to give as gifts while listening to the end of a wonderful Christmas concert, two Charlie Brown specials, and other programs. I emailed the parents of kids I gave books to last year to make sure I don't give the same book to the same family. I set aside a number of books which were later volumes of series where the order makes some difference. I may become inspired to take a picture and maybe if I am missing certain books and someone here is missing others we could arrange a trade or something.
I was still short at least five books for two little girls of about eight years old, but I remembered at that age my favorite series was Tizz by Elisa Bialk, about a palomino pony, and I just happened to have some extra copies. Some volumes I picked up at various library sales over the years, and then bought a lot on eBay of ex-library copies from Missouri, so went through volume by volume. Some I had two copies of, and one I had three so both girls get that one. It was enough to put together five books apiece for all eleven children, but almost all sorting and comparing, very little in the way of cleaning and repairs, so I have a long grueling ordeal ahead yet, and no Christmas decorating done. It will have to be done when I can and that will just have to be good enough. If it proves too awful I will have to simply give it up and we wouldn't want that!