Christmas Jars and Giving

           Christmas came in bits and spurts this year. That's alright with me. To be honest, Christmas has never been one of my favorite holidays. It usually ranks below second, even. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I hate winter, if I've worked too much retail, if I was traumatized by the one year I was sick with pink eye and strep, if I'm just upset that Christ wasn't even actually born in December and that Santa wasn't real, or maybe just because everyone gets really sentimental and I have intimacy issues. 

            All kidding aside, (well, most of the kidding, an alarming part of that was true) I haven't been looking forward to this Christmas. Last year, losing my Grandma rather unexpectedly so close to the holiday made Christmas feel rather sour this year. The songs of "All I Want For Christmas This Year Is You" began to remind me not only of her and how I missed her cards and sweet messages and cranberry cookies but also of the other people I have had a hard time missing this year. 

            So even though we put decorations up on the first of December (Alayna's orders, Courtney isn't fond of this holiday either), I wasn't really feeling it. That was, at least, until a mix up over the package my mom sent early and this anonymous box with a plastic jar full of coins.

This was the anonymous sender's "name" as well as a fake number that happens to be Canadian...

$100 in cash and coin

  At first I guessed that it had to be my Grandmother, or maybe an old coworker, or my Aunt, but the more I guess the more confused and grateful I am.

   Maybe it's because I've always wished I was a detective since Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, or maybe I just over think things, but you probably have to know me a little better than the average person to put a Canadian phone number (unless, of course, you're an old coworker), because while I do have a slight prejudice against them, I don't feel like I go on rants about them that often. Or it was a coincidence. It just seems odd because I do tend to go on rants about them around the holidays, (at least I used to. I've toned down since I learned they gave us Ryan Gosling and Nina Dobrev.)

 There are a few people that have said the phrase "You are loved" to me in that exact wording though, and those people would also be the type to know about the Christmas Jars book, but those people's handwriting doesn't look like my name on the label.

Also, while I understand the point of the book is to save change and have a daily reminder of the person you are trying to help, if you know me personally, you know that I absolutely love sorting. Especially change. Like Canadians, I am also prejudiced against pennies and love taking them out of the perfect silver, not-worth-more-to-make-than-it's-actual-value coin. 

As for the San Tan Valley UPS store, the Post office is a lot closer to most of the people I suspect. SO. Whoever you are, you have me fooled, and probably didn't realize half this stuff about me or do it intentionally, but I figured you might get a kick out of me trying to figure it out. If you read this, that is. 

Now, how I spent it....

Yep, a bed.

 (And yes the apartment is tiny and cramped and we are moving as soon as we can). 

Since it was an unexpected windfall of money in the most generous way possible, it didn't feel right spending it on me. So I didn't. Instead I decided that, if at all possible with the tiny price range window I had, I needed to get an actual bed for Alayna. When Alayna first moved in, she took the second bed that I had from my roommate David and moved it into my room. But when Courtney moved in she couldn't sleep on the couch bed (as much as she tried) because of her nerve problems. So Alayna very patiently and quietly has been sleeping on the falling-apart-pull-out-bed. No person should have to sleep on that, but we haven't been able to afford a good alternative. 

 I hoped, as I searched online, that at the very least I could get just a mattress. The box spring could wait as well as any frame. But when I went to the Facebook garage sales that my aunt Jer kept telling me about, there was a brand new double size bed with box spring and frame all for $100. I contacted the lady and, with the help of my friend Alex, was able to get it in the house and all set up that day while Alayna was still at work. 

So, anonymous person, this is the joy you brought to not only me, but someone who deserved it even more than me. Thank you.