a bit of bah-humbug and then? not so much.

I have a bit of a bone to pick with my husband's employer. For those of you who aren't aware, Brad works for Target. He's one of the managers there (Logistics ETL for yall who know Target lingo). He informed me today that the company has decided, for the first year ever, to stay open on Christmas Eve until 9pm. 9pm. Oh sure, Target. None of those team members wanted to spend that time with their families. I'm sure everyone really wanted to stay a few more hours just so you could make an extra buck. Really?! Aren't most retail stores dead after 2pm Christmas Eve anyway?

Seriously, did none of these corporate people who make these decisions ever watch Christmas classics like A Christmas Carol, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, or the well-loved Elf?? All have the same theme... putting greed/money ahead of families/generosity (especially during the holidays) makes you a Scrooge.
Actually, what would be really fair is if the guys in the offices got off their swivel chairs and, instead of taking Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off, they should get in the stores and work the crap shifts that nobody wants. Because, yes, my husband has to go in to work on Christmas night. Thank goodness, he already asked off for Christmas Eve. Otherwise, our Christmas might've been happening after the 25th.
And really, at the end of the day, they're probably going to have spent more than they made, just in paying the employees to be there, as all of 3 people who forgot to buy Scotch tape come and shop.

*sigh*

End rant.

***

And now to steer things back in the holly-jolly arena...

I have a favor to ask.
If you're able, would you please consider helping out a friend of mine. I've known her for a very long time (since we were 3, maybe?). We went to school together from pre-K to 8th grade. Her 4 year old, William, was diagnosed with a terminal form of Muscular Dystrophy, called Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy.

Their 2 year old daughter has a life-threatening form of epilepsy,  Occipital Lobe Epilepsy. She's also a carrier of MD.

Things have definitely not been easy for this family. Because her husband was in the brokerage field when the market crashed, they've been hit hard financially. They lost their home. The medical bills are insurmountable.

I don't talk much about the school I went to on here. It just hasn't come up very often, I guess. But I went to a very small, Christian school. And while it certainly had its rough spots, the relationships that came out of that place will last a lifetime. There are friends that I haven't seen in years, but I know if anything ever happened, they'd be there for me at the drop of a hat. How do I know? Because they've done this for my friend, Abby. One of my friends just did an ultramarathon to raise money for this family. Another friend is currently doing a "lock up" in jail right now... she's relying on donations towards this cause for her "bail". :)

So if you're able, and I know times are hard right now, would you consider helping this family out? They're both incredible parents, and this would be such an awesome Christmas gift to them.

You can still give to the ultramarathon fundraiser here.
To participate in the "lock up" donations, go here.
I also have their personal address, if you would like to mail them a gift instead.

Anything is appreciated.
Thanks, y'all!

You can read more of their story here.

(All photos by Alissa Bray Photography)