The Giving Tree
Kellie Hardwick and her family always have two extra people on their gift-giving list. They don’t know who they are, but they are always a boy and a girl. Sometimes they’ll ask for a winter coat, sometimes a Barbie doll. But the wishes are simple, and Kellie and Larry Hardwick are happy to oblige. The recipients’ wish lists are found on a giving tree located at the Clyde Findlay Area Credit Union, and for the last 10 years the Hardwicks have helped make the holidays a little brighter for two local children.
“I feel bad for the kids who don’t have anything at holiday time,” says Kellie. “This is something I want my kids to grow up and do with their own kids. It makes them be better people, to have that giving heart that not everybody has anymore.”
The tradition started when daughter Kaitlyn, now 11, was about one year old. Since then, son Jack, now 15 and Kaitlyn have each picked a wish list off the tree and shopped for the items. One year one of the cards stated that the little boy wanted socks, a coat and anything that had Spiderman on it.
“It absolutely boggled my mind — they were such simple requests,” she says. The Hardwicks wrap the gifts and deliver them to the credit union, which then disperses them. Every year, the family waits for the tree to go up so they can shop for some special wishes.
“It’s just our way of giving back,” she says.
Ringing the bell for a good cause
On any given day before Christmas, the families of Pat Watkins and Sheila Huber can be found ringing a bell at Salvation Army kettles around town. Whether it’s snowing, sleeting or cold, they are two of many families who help the Salvation Army make Christmas possible for needy families in Hancock County.
“We know there is an increased need in the community and families who struggle around the holiday time,” says Sheila Huber. “We feel we need to give back.”
Huber – along with her husband, Bob, and teen daughters Catie and Nikki – has been a bell ringer for more than 10 years. The family originally pitched in because Bob was on the Salvation Army board of directors, but it quickly became a family tradition. Some days, depending on the weather, they wear long underwear and take turns stepping into the stores to warm up.
They have been told they are enthusiastic bell ringers. “Sometimes the bell gets loud, but the louder the better,” she says. “We’ve had people tell us they can hear it down the block.”
Pat Watkins and her family – husband Murray, adult sons Landon and Mason and teen daughter Taylor – started helping the Salvation Army when the older children were in elementary school. “It’s nice to do something, instead of just giving money, but I do that, too,” says Watkins, whose family belts out Christmas carols while wearing Santa hats, antlers and other Christmas garb. “Christmas just wouldn’t be complete without it.”
Family matters
For Darcy and Morgan Smith, the time leading up to Christmas is nearly as important as the day itself.
The Smiths, with eight children ranging in age from 1 to 12, face the same dilemma all parents do in making sure Christmas does not turn into a greedy free-for-all. To counter Christmas commercialism, they take advantage of their Roman Catholic faith and use Advent — the time before Christmas — as a way to prepare their family for a meaningful December 25.
One way they observe Advent is by participating in Las Posadas through St. Michael The Archangel Parish. The nine-day celebration mimics the Biblical story of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter on that fateful night, and those participating go to a different home each night for song and fellowship. “The kids love it. If it were up to them we’d go every night,” says Darcy, of Findlay. “But it’s more than just the Posadas. It’s general Advent preparation, rather than a mad rush for gifts.”
The Smiths also set up their Christmas tree the first Sunday in Advent, bare except for lights and pink and purple ornament balls, which represent the special colors of the Advent candles. On Christmas Eve, the star goes atop the tree and they attend the children’s liturgy, finish decorating and — in a fun twist — order Chinese food.
“We want to focus on preparing ourselves for Jesus, and to be able to say ‘I’m ready to meet Jesus’,” she says. “I’m ready to open my present, too, but I’m also ready to meet Jesus and welcome him into the world.”
