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Perfect gift makes Christmas magical
Christmas morning may be a little happier than expected for a young angler in Naples, Fla., thanks to the thoughtfulness of a restaurateur whose simple request embodies the holiday spirit more than she might imagine.
Christmas shopping can be a race against the clock, our budget and traffic. Eventually, the race concludes, if only because time runs out and Santa Claus is in the sky. The process can be stressful and exhausting. For many, the gifting tradition falls short of being fully satisfying.
But when the need is obvious and the gift is a perfect fit, the magic of Christmas is as good as it gets.
What does this have to do with fishing? Bear with me. I’m getting there.
Serendipity struck last week. Hungry for fresh shrimp while vacationing in Naples, Barb and I dropped in at one of our favorite spots. The happy hostess showed us to a cozy table and left us there with menus and a sheet of paper on which a short message was typed.
After settling in and ordering beverages, I read the note on the paper. It was from the owner of the restaurant, a place called “Alice Sweet-water’s.”
Her note reported she’d been in touch with the principal at a nearby elementary school and had learned 45 students’ families were not going to have much of a Christmas. They were still struggling to get their homes back in order after suffering the devastation of Hurricane Irma.
The storm was three months ago, but many residents in neighborhoods where farm workers and laborers live are still rebuilding their homes and scraping up the cash to buy necessities.
The note on the paper said diners who would like to help could pull from a wall of cards with the name of each student, their age and a gift that they would enjoy.
The hostess walked by and we asked a few questions. She explained many of the students’ parents are too proud to ask for help and concerned that making their needs known might draw undue attention. So they don’t seek assistance. I get that.
But the school’s principal and Alice Sweetwater’s owner knew there was something that could be done to spark a little brightness on Christmas morning.
Barb and I decided to pull a card. This is the fishing angle I promised. Serendipity, indeed.
The card Barb picked was for Andy, age 8. His gift?
A fishing pole.
We looked at each other. I think Barb’s eyes were misty. I know mine were. A fishing pole for 8-year-old Andy? Of course.
We paid for dinner and bee-lined to a nearby retailer where we found the perfect rod-and-reel outfit already spooled with line.
Few people love fishing more than me, so when the elementary school principal and the thoughtful restaurateur told us a youngster wanted a fishing pole for Christmas, we knew what we had to do.
Like you and so many others, Barb and I have bought a thousand Christmas presents over the years. Many were special gifts for our special people.
The fishing pole for Andy last week is special, too. To us it was the perfect reminder that when the need is clear and the fit is perfect, it’s the epitome of Christmas gifting.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Merry Christmas, Andy.
And Merry Christmas to you, too.