Maryville, TN:

This year was the second year of the Christmas Jar tradition in my family. Last year was easy, we had decided to give the jar to our neighbors, so I just waited till they went to sleep and ran it across the street. Before I go too much further, I need to add that my parents work nights so I have had to deliver both jars so far by myself. That was what made this year’s jar a difficult one. Our family chose a single father and his daughter for this year recipients. The father was having surgery the night before Christmas Eve and that was when I chose to deliver it. He lives with his parents and bother and I was hoping they were all at the hospital and no one would return home while I was there. I parked up the street since no one could just wait in the car and leave it running in the drive way or something while and walked back to their house. It didn’t seem like anyone was home and other than the grass seeming like the loudest grass ever, the delivery seemed to go very smooth. It is a big deal to me that the receivers not know who the jar is from so I went through the night really excited that it was easier than I had expected to get the jar to it’s destination and no one see me. The next day however, I received a call asking me if the jar was from me and when I tried to deny it my friend (the recipients brother) tried to guilt me into admitting it. I thought I had covered myself pretty good until I heard him shout to his mom “Yeah, I’m pretty sure she is the one who left it, because she’s read all of this guy’s books, and she tried to convince me to call fedex and UPS because they leave stuff on doorsteps all the time.” Then he began talking to me again and said I am the worst liar he’s ever heard and then he said myself and one other person outside the family were the only ones to know they were at the hospital and his brother was having surgery. I am really disappointed that they figured it out. That is a big part of the fun for me, is someone getting the blessing and the only one they are able to really say thank you to is God. If it wasn’t for God providing the money to the givers in the first place the receiver would never see it. I’ve read so many of the stories of people receiving a jar and talking about how GOD provided not a person. I was touched though when he told me his brother’s reaction to the jar. I’ve known this family since I was in sixth grade and love them all so much. They have been there so often for my family when we’ve needed help and this was our turn to be there for them. I hope that they still will see only God in this and not us though.