Today

Today is the culmination of many weeks of work and hours of time Matt has invested in the Best Christmas Ever event.

This event has taken Matt away from our family.  Each year it does and each year, we feel just a bit discouraged.  It’s stressful planning a Christmas giveaway and party for 8,000 people.

But each year when I want to whine about having to be a single parent from Thanksgiving to December 23rd while Matt plans this party, I am reminded of WHY he does this.

This event is for the child who would not get anything under the tree this year.  It’s for the parent who is working three jobs and still feels buried by bills.  It’s for the family who never gets to spend a day together, playing and enjoying a wonderful meal because they don’t have a choice; they have to work.

Last year I volunteered at this event.  It was very cold yet people stood in lines, wrapped around Mr. Biggs, waiting for their turn to pick out a gift for their child, to get a coat and clothes and a meal to take home.  I was toasty warm inside the building.  This single dad came in.  They had been in line since the early morning and his sweet little girl had pooped through everything.  He didn’t have an extra change of clothes.  Together we found wet wipes, paper towels and worked to make the situation bearable.

Afterwards I thought about that young man.  He was willing to deal with the sh*t, literally, of life in order to help bring a smile to his daughter’s face on Christmas morning.

If you think about Matt today, would you send up a prayer?  This event is a logistically nightmare.  And there are so many families who will be  blessed by the generosity of our community coming together.  Please pray for strength to get through the day (he’s been pulling 17 hour days for the past week).