by:   Linda Law

During those years when I had a career, it was tradition that employees traded names for the Christmas party held each year.  In the beginning, when I had first been hired, I was just an assistant manager and learning from the ground up.  Amazing how no matter the background, education, or past experiences, a new job can be quite challenging, to say the least.  Before long I was a manager, and then Trouble shooter, then it seemed that I never sat still.  Moving from city to city, state to state, fixing and motivating, and it seemed as if I was born to do this.

   Our company was generous and good to it's help .  In my case however, I had so many to lead, that although we had a company party, I felt the need to say thank you for all they did.  My salary was good, but I have a family, so....each October I began to collect...

   Small items for all my staff, from the lowest positions to the top of the stack....each to me was invaluable indeed, and so many...also had needs.  I discovered the Dollar Stores, which were new at the time...and Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart too.  Wherever I traveled, I'd shop for nice gifts, the price was not the matter, it was the person in mind.   The first year I had 20 to shop for; then it kept growing....60, then 110, then 220, then 600....and more... but in the beginning I loved this challenge... so... 

   By the first of December, I'd gathered all my items...mostly $1 gifts, but I'd buy lots of baskets, and colored raffia to fill them with...each basket held 5 more items...trinkets, and many other things...  Shrink Wrapped and tied with Christmas ribbon, one by one the assembly line went... By the 10th of December, the dining room would be wall to wall with gifts galore..  Boxed and shipped in time to receive, while many stayed here to be given in person at the local Christmas dinner.  I always insisted that I wanted no gifts, but I'd ask that each employee would donate $1.00.... at the end of the evening, we'd have $100 or more and we'd buy enough to feed one or two families who wouldn't have without it. 

   Each year the employee list grew, and each year my mind would try to find a new way of gifting.  On my 12th year, I had so many employees scattered all over the US, that I decided to give one small gift to each... 

   My kitchen became a factory of sorts... 300 clear plastic jars with lids...  Each one filled with cookie mixes, dry ingredients only, stacked in the jar so that it looked really pretty... One layer of dry ingredients, one layer of brown sugar, one layer of chocolate chips, one layer of pecans or walnuts, from bottom to top.. Then each lid was wrapped with pretty red colored Raffia and tied into a long bow....attached to each Raffia bow was a Christmas shaped cookie cutter and a 3x5 cookie shaped colored card, with directions for mixing, and baking... Some jars were short and some jars were double in size (for family size) and then I stacked them in cartons with a label for each....shipped them and sent them all over the globe...

    The week after Christmas, the thank you cards and notes came by the droves....phone calls and messages, from one and all!  The CEO called to say his grandchildren loved the gift...the kids baked the cookies and had such fun!  The notes were all loving and thoughtful, and told of how this one little jar had meant so much... reminding me that.....

     My 12th year was nearing it's end, when it was apparent that many offices would be closed, and employees would lose their jobs...so the reminder of the year before was still strong... and five years later...my life has changed, but I'll always treasure the times I shared...  

   It's the giving with love that comes from the heart...not the price of the gift or where it came from... The joy of the giving was mainly mine...I loved the projects and selecting who would get what...over the years, these people had become not just staff...but friends.