I got caught by the police! Red handed! On Christmas Day! Every year I purchase Starbucks’s Gift Cards, drive around on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day giving them to Police Officers with a quick, “Thanks for working on Christmas.” This is done anonymously in the tradition of one of the early versions of Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, a saint who was known for giving anonymous gifts, especially to children during the night as they slept. This idea, of course, was popularized by Clement Moore, who wrote a simple poem for his children in 1822 entitled, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” that begins with the now famous words, “Twas the night before Christmas . . .” And of course in the spirit of Jesus who told His disciples, “when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3). For the first time, I got caught. One of the recipients apparently recorded my car license tag. My wife was surprised when a Police vehicle pulled up to our front curb and gave her a hand-made note for me. It read, “Of all the gifts bestowed this year . . . the greatest is the appreciation of those like you” and it was signed by nineteen police officers, complete with their badge numbers. I wept. One of my greatest Christmas joys, passed onto me my Father, is the anonymous giving of gifts. This year, I was blessed to be caught on Christmas.
"Caught on Christmas" is an entry in "Dr. Dan's MondayMorning Memo" written by Dr. Dan Crawford, located at www.discipleallnations.org/blog.
Comments
What a great tradition. Thanks for sharing!