Christmas Memories in California

A Quota service project for a disadvantaged family jolted the memory of a California Quota volunteer, who shares a Christmas memory of her own lean days as a child.

A Christmas Moment to Share
Loretta K. Merry
QI of Mountain View, California, U.S.A.

Early in December each year, members of the Quota club of Mountain View eagerly await word from the Support Network for Battered Women for details about a large family that our club will adopt for Christmas. We receive a wish list from the mother and each of her children, along with their ages, sexes, and sizes. Our club provides the family a full Christmas dinner, and individual members shop for gifts from the wish list. We offer the items to Mom along with wrapping paper and ribbon so she can enjoy preparing the gifts for her children.

A couple of years ago, to my delight, we had three girls and a boy to shop for! I thought to myself how long it had been since I had the fun of wandering through the girls department and choosing "little girl" things. I really looked forward to my shopping trip!

On shopping day, a delightful store clerk checked my purchases, commenting on my enthusiasm over the items I had selected. I explained our club service project each Christmas, and she told me about similar projects organized by her church to help families in need. While we were enjoying our lively exchange, a lovely woman waiting in line overheard our conversation, reached from her heart and into her wallet to give me—a total stranger!—more money to help the Quota family.

I was so overwhelmed with emotion at her generosity and kindness that I barely managed a whispered "thank you," and then gave her a big hug. All three of us at the checkout counter had tears in our eyes as we parted and wished each other a Merry Christmas.

On my way back to the office, I was suddenly hit with a long forgotten memory of my own childhood, one buried so long ago that I had never even discussed it with any of my siblings. It was the late 1940s in Mountain View. I was ten years old, the eldest of six children. My father, a carpenter, was out of work because of bad weather. The oldest three had been forewarned that Christmas would not bring the abundance of gifts we had known in the past. As I recall, we were OK with that, perhaps not realizing what it really meant.

On Christmas Eve, we heard a knock at the door. In came the happiest Santa Claus in full uniform with helpers in tow. They delivered a full Christmas to our family of eight! They called us by name and set presents around the tree, laughing all the while. And when Santa was gone, we could scarcely believe the wonderment of what had just happened before our very eyes.

Mom and Dad cried while all of us kids hollered and jumped around like we didn't have good sense. And do you know we never did know or find out who came into and out of our lives so mysteriously on that very magical Christmas. Were they friends of the family or from the church we occasionally visited or the school? Was it a service club? We never knew, but to us it was Santa.

This act of kindness and caring left a lasting impression on me of the goodness of people and the importance of service to those in our own community. I am at all times thankful to Quota International for providing me with an avenue to be part of wonderful service projects. As individuals and as a service organization, we can help people in our community as well as those special individuals around the world who need a helping hand.

I am also grateful to the special lady who donated money spontaneously in the store. Her caring and goodness reinforced my faith and commitment to service. I hope we all remember and give thanks for the goodness and true spirit of caring in each one of us!