A Christmas Story

Even though Christmas was in the air, for the past month or so I just couldn’t feel the Holiday cheer. Whatever it was, there was something about this year that was ruining my Christmas spirit. Maybe it was because it hadn’t snowed, maybe because we hadn’t yet gotten a Christmas tree, maybe I just wasn’t feeling all that cheerful, or maybe I just needed a reminder of what Christmas is all about.

Last Friday my daughter, Sidney resigned herself to the fact that she and her dog, Nike (Nee-keh) wouldn’t be moving back to Rome any time soon so she agreed to give away the travel cage. The enormous cage (that was at least one size too “roomy”) had been sitting on our balcony for over a year and I was anxious to be rid of it. I had always felt that a lemon tree would better suit that space. I quickly called my friend Carol, she’s very active in the Safety Net/Pets for Life NYC Program. Within a few minutes she got back to me and told me that somebody needed the cage. I got in touch with them and it turned out that they needed to transport their dog to the south but could not afford to buy a cage. I gave them all the measurements and necessary information and they said they would come to pick it up.

Then, Sunday night, my daughter Alanna came home announcing that she found a wallet on the F train. The wallet contained all of the owner’s documents and ID’s but no phone number. She asked, “What should I do?” Sidney, my younger daughter asked, “What’s the address?” I looked at the driver’s permit and said, “Jackson Street!” After establishing that Jackson Street was only a few blocks away from us I volunteered to make the voyage. This was not the first time Alanna had found a wallet, when she was in grade school at PS 6, she had returned a wallet to the office. However there was no “Good Samaritan” announcement on the loudspeaker for her. An oversight on the part of the school, which may have had something to do with the disagreement I had with the principal (I blatantly told her that her school’s social structure was elitist and completely outrageous for a public school). This time, however, I helped.

Monday morning came and I set out for my morning walk with Nike. My trusty sidekick was surprised at our direction but was not going to question me since we were going towards the dog park. When we got to his apartment the young man, Angel, opened the door and was elated to find a good Samaritan (or her mother) bringing him back his wallet. His eyes lit up and he couldn’t stop thanking me. I wished him a Merry Christmas and went on my way feeling like Santa with a lone reindeer, who instead of gracefully pulling my sled just pulled me down the street.

As if that wasn’t enough to renew my Yuletide cheer, that evening the young man who needed the cage came to get it. He and his mother were happy to see that our dog was taller but generally the same size as the dog they needed to fit in her cage. They played with her as they got the cage and thanked us over and over and wished us a Merry Christmas, we did the same and as the elevator doors closed I felt the Christmas Spirit fill the air.

That night we got our Christmas tree, decorated it with glittery pinecones, candy canes, and the ornaments that have been a sparkly splendor throughout my daughters’ Christmases and hopefully will be there for their children’s as well.