Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

Formerly The DIY Bungalow

  • Home
  • About
    • About Karen & the Blog
    • Thirty Days of Gratitude
    • Habitat for Humanity ReStore Workshops
    • Stories from the Bungalow
    • Dogs Who Don’t Eat Pizza
      • Bear, the Original Dog Who Didn’t Eat Pizza
      • Hank Dog
      • Elvis Parsley
  • Project Index
    • DIY
    • Decorating
    • Shopping Tips
    • Repurposing and Upcycling
    • Paint and Color
    • Organizing
    • Cleaning
    • Recipes
    • Gardening
    • Holidays & Seasonal
    • Friday Five
  • Home Tour
    • The 1929 House
    • The First House
    • Room Reveals
  • Advertising
    • Disclosure and Privacy Policy
    • Advertising
  • Media
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Holidays & Seasonal / The Christmas Spirit

The Christmas Spirit

December 17, 2013 By Karen Cooper 4 Comments

It’s a little more than a week before Christmas, and we’re all bustling around – have to get presents, have to go food shopping, have to clean the house for guests, have to decorate our homes. I’ve been caught up in it, too.

But this weekend, we took a break from all the Christmas preparations and, instead, helped serve a Christmas feast to the gentlemen at the Central Night Shelter (Mac’s Party, named in honor of the son of one of my favorite people in the world).

You don’t quite understand how ridiculous it is to be worried about garland or toys until you shake the hand of a man who is  grateful to be someplace warm for the night.[bctt tweet=”You don’t quite understand how ridiculous it is to be worried about garland or toys until you shake the hand of a man who is grateful to be someplace warm for the night.”]

the whole hall

The children decorated the hall for the feast – making paper chains to drape along the railing above and making popcorn garland for the tree.

paper chain and mats

The kids also served the men drinks and appetizers.

drinks

The food was plentiful, thanks to many who cooked and brought food, donating their skills and time.

dessert table

The choir – the Atlanta Homeward Men’s Choir – sang beautifully.

choir singing

Even Santa made an appearance!

Santa

The children had decorated bags for the men which contained breakfast and lunch for the next day.

decorated bags

And volunteers addressed Christmas cards for any man who wanted to send one.

We all had a wonderful time and the Director of the Shelter, my friend Katie (who writes beautifully about her experiences with the Shelter and the men who stay there at her blog, Views from the Sidewalk. Go read it now. You will be glad you did) said the men were still talking about the party on Sunday night and how great it was.

I hope my kids will remember it, too. I remember delivering “Meals on Wheels” to people on Christmas morning when I was a kid. I hope my kids fondly remember this the same way.

It’s easy to get caught up in all the “stuff” of Christmas, without remembering that it’s not about toys or garland or turkey or ham. It’s about family, giving, warmth, love. To give these men a little of that for one night this season was a blessing for us.

What is the most meaningful thing you’ve done or plan to do in the Christmas spirit, or what has someone done for you that was meaningful?

As always, thank you for stopping by.

You might also like:

  • Twas the Weekend Before Christmas
    Twas the Weekend Before Christmas
  • The Love Run
    The Love Run
  • Easy and Free Holiday Garland
    Easy and Free Holiday Garland

Filed Under: Holidays & Seasonal, Stories from the Bungalow 4 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

« Holiday at HQ
Word of the Year (or Two) »




Comments

  1. Sharon says

    December 17, 2013 at 5:30 pm

    Karen,
    Just a beautiful event! My heart goes out.
    When I lived in Chicago, our church would visit The Pacific Garden Mission, a similar outreach, and we loved to be able to spend time with the men. The kids not only loved taking part in visits, but the men took so kindly to them; they’d all be leaving with all sort of candy and we’d all have a bus load of kids with sugar highs for the 60 mile ride home (which is a long time in a big city! lol!)
    My oldest is in his mid twenties, and still remembers these days when he was so young.
    This is what Christmas is all about!!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      December 17, 2013 at 7:16 pm

      That’s awesome, Sharon! That is what Christmas is all about.

      Reply
  2. walter m. malabuyoc says

    October 15, 2015 at 10:54 am

    please send me those other photos of the Atlanta homeward men’s choir .I am one of the very original member since nov. ‘2013. thanks and GOD BLESS! Walter M. Malabuyoc

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      October 15, 2015 at 10:56 am

      Hi Walter, Unfortunately, I don’t have any other pictures. Check Katie Bashor’s Facebook page for pictures – I know she took a bunch! So nice to meet you!! God bless you, too! Thank you!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




find projects here!

My Daybed in This Old House Magazine!

Daybed from Old Doors featured in This Old House Magazine
Best of 2016 - Best Blog DIY Category - thediybungalow.com

Disclosure

Dogs Don't Eat Pizza is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  Dogs Don't Eat Pizza also participates in other affiliate programs.

To see my complete disclosure and privacy policy, click HERE.

About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
© Copyright 2012-2021, Dogs Don't Eat Pizza, LLC (formerly The DIY Bungalow LLC).