What Good Deed Will you do for christmas?

Shower.

Thank you Jesus.

In what way ? We all have our own personal Jesus ( to quote a song I think). Any good suggestions how to do it ? Me , I don't care, but I like the spirit of the idea. You know that e-man. Be constructive ? How can we all do a good deed for x-mas ? I know many do every day of the year, but hey. - lets try all make a difference one year (?). Having spoken to you by PM I know what a good dude you are, but it's a good idea to all try do something special one year. (?)

Ah...I was praising the Lord for Anon's Good Deed.

My special Good Deed for Christmas? There are projects down by the school where my wife works. For the kids who live in those projects, Christmas Day is no different than any other day. We're giving five families warm clothes and toys for Christmas.

See, I knew you was the man ! I do my own little bit through the year, but am looking for inspiration on x-mas day. To take time out on that one day seems especially worthwhile to me. Lets keep this thread rolling with ideas.

Me too! <Wheeze>

Actually we decided this year to bring back our grab bag that the family stopped about fifteen years ago. Then my sister suggested we do something collectively with the money. So my niece contacted a social worker and we are adopting a family. The family we got has a five year old girl & an eight year old boy. They requested a bicycle & computer. We collected $1,600.
The kids will never know we donated the money or that their parents received any donations. They will always think their parent gave them a wonderful Christmas.
All we had to sacrifice was one less gift to open. Great idea!

I shall be incredibly magnanimous and be less good than usual, this will allow some opportunity others to be good instead .

(Mrs Cat is my conscience as far as charity goes.... she does enough for two and I tend to concentrate closer to home . I will try to avoid giving too much to big business)

Del

As we (my wife, daughter en me) have had the worst year I can think of, we shall just be hiding out untill the new year and hope to whatever god is out there that 2008 will be better.

This will cost me nothing more than the usual life does and therefor I get the extra points. What I will do with the extra points I don't know yet.

The fact I am looking like a happy triangle to all of you means not a lot in real life. You guys have been a real life saver even though you don't realise. Without CR4 I would probably slipped into a massive depression and left my wife and family. You guys may not have been THE motivation but you certainly added to my focus.

I think therefor I shall thank you all for a truly wonderful experience and for the distraction. Submerging oneself in what you love is the best therapy as far as I am concerned.

Yours truly,

Case491

p.s. I am serious for a change so I will not respond to piss talking.

Hello case491,

Sorry to hear about your rotten year.

Perhaps a major cause of depression is the "Dark and damp England weather".

We do need a lot of sunshine, taken by each person outside, to keep depression at bay.

You could try St.John's Wort, it did make a difference for me.

My year has been rotten, in fact the last 60+ have been mostly rotten for me.

I just soldier on, knowing that I have a far better place to go to....

I've heard some major health concens associated with St Johns Wort. This seems to happen especially if taken in conjunction with prescribed meds. I'd strongly advice anyone to seek further info before begining a course of this stuff. I'm not qualified to say anything exact, other than to suggest seeking advice from a GP ( MD in the US I think) before using such. Depression can be a terrible thing, but don't 'grasp' at anything that seems like an immediate cure.

Respect to you Garth for posting this.

I need a little time to consider this one. An obvious one for me would be trying to not be an utter b*****d for 24 hours. Providing some transport help for local Age Concern might be useful. Since 'Aldi' is diabolically cheap ( and appeals in an alternate avatar sense) , I may pick up a truck load of canned goods ( estimated cost 5 GBP/tonne) and see it gets delivered to those in need. Simply taking a few hours to go chat with the elderly and lonely may be better (though some may disagree in my case. They'd all request relocation to an old folks home. ). Heck, just walking the streets and locating somebody homeless may work - a few hours company, a warm meal, and trying to advise might be good. They might benefit as well. (Sorry I can't help it.). Some very good ideas may emerge here. Nice one !

This may be one of the most worthwhile threads on CR4. Despite my natural inclination to joke I shall keep considering it. Doing something outside my own selfish circle of interest would be cool.

Excellent thread garthh.

It was Kris's idea, though he may have been joking.

I thought I would pretend to have a bit of holiday spirit.

I may or may not have been joking, that's irrelevant. It's a fine idea for a thread. Amidst all our discussions on CR4 we can swap ideas that people may well implement. Respect to all who input good ideas, and especially those who put them into practice. It's a fine idea, and you have my respect for posting it. (If I had done so direct, people may have just laughed it off from the start as another of my silly type posts/threads. With yourself doing so, it has a decent chance of making an impact). When people are back from their weekend off, I sincerely hope that more will contribute here. This is an excellent chance for CR4 members to demonstrate their imagination, ingenuity, and general sense of social responsibility. We have it here it bucket loads, so lets use it people.

I'm going to start off here as a miserable sod - I hope I can post later on this thread with some positive stuff.

Thing is, I'm such a soft touch, that I'm down about £100 over the year to folk that I thought I could trust (I'm talking 'mates' here, not business). I'm a sucker for a sob story - to the point where I lent a bloke £40 on a promise of next-day-pay-back, knowing that it was my daughter's birthday in 3 days, and ended up apologizing to Small for such a miserable birthday present.

Just wish there were a few more decent people around.

Gripe over - I'll try to get back on the plus side.

John.

I intend to follow the Scripture: "It is better to give than receive".

Thus I intend to accept all the gifts from others.

I shall not be giving any gifts away this Christmas.

I would point out here, that I am not a cheapskate.

All of those who give me a gift, will be extra blessed, because they shall get nothing in return.

You can forward gifts to me, here at care of cr4, marked for my attention, thank you one and all, in grateful anticipation...

case491 Be of good cheer. We all wish the best for you in the days ahead. Send a personal message if I can offer and particular words of encouragement.

Sparkstation You are not alone. I have had over 12 surgeries and 1 transfusion in *^ years + && months. Can't do what I want to do due to general downhill state of affairs. Add a cracked/broken rib from fall 3 weeks ago.

My plan is to do what I can for others along the way of life. Visit by phone or email when personal visits are out of the question. Write letters and send cards. Give of yourself. People know when you care about them and their problems. Help in tangible ways whenever and however you can.

To paraphrase John F. Kennedy:
"Ask not what others can do for you but What can you do for others."

I contacted the VA offices in two local small cities. I offered to make small repairs or help the local vets who need it. I feel good about life. I think I'm ahead of the curve on this. When I turned 40, I had a "phase shift". I saw death down the road and asked myself if my current life would mean much when I was gone. I have different priorities now. Not much money, but a better focus. Americans have to much stuff.

I got a call from the local power company, would I look at a house with problems. OK

Get there, service panel fried by lightning. Old, no parts anymore. I think, this will cost them. I turn around, small children under foot, the father (25ish) he had one leg.

Wow. That was a free one.

One last note. I too, find CR4 keeping me upbeat.

James

Since I am constantly involved in the Elks (Veterans, Special Childrens, Local concerns, drug awareness, etc.) and being a troop leader in the Boy Scouts of America ( Food drives for the needy, Community hours for the elderly, etc.) and volunteering to help my neighbors when needed I think I've tried to live up to what my Parents and religion have taught me. This year I will continue to do these services along with being an advisor to our new young lodge members from the Antlers, but most of all attempt to show my family and relatives how much I truly care for them.

After reading many of the replies here, I feel my problems are much less significant and petty. I hope all of you a better new year to follow. For those not involved in this Christian Holy Day, May your religion or personal convictions and teachings make us all better people toward mankind in general.

As my family and I have been under the weather with colds, etc. I think our good deed will be to stay away from crowds and meetings as much as possible so that we dont infect anyone else.

Excellent thread, Garthh. You've really struck a chord here.

Seconded.

I'm going to contact a local group concerned with welfare for the elderly. Somewhere out there is a person who would (hopefully) be pleased to be invited along for the family Christmas day celebrations. Such a chance act may lead to benefit on all sides. The youngsters ( me too) would be captivated by an elderly person recounting detail of their own childhood. I have a couple of other minor plans in mind as well.

The fact that it's a 'Christian' celebration day is irrelevant. Picking one day to go the extra distance is great, even if one routinely does such things. I hope this thread continues, and that we can all swap some of our experiences after the date. This is very ,very cool Garthh.

There is an old saying, someone correct me, this can't be accurate.

Good deeds practiced daily develop habits, habits practised over time develop character.

James

Hi James, I haven't heard that particular quote/saying before, but it's a good one. It's also now shamelessly logged in my mind for further use (! although the possibility of swapping "bad" for "good" does not escape me ). CR4 provides a great platform for us all to share our ideas. This thread is perhaps a little off topic for CR4's general purpose, but this is a great thread. Umpteen of the people here could do stuff like : go help the little old lady on her own. "Fix that leaking tap ?" "No problem", "Need some new wiring in the house "? "Sorted". "Door not working" ? "Hey, I'm there". etc. Added bonus is cup of tea and chat with someone alone. There are zillions of possibilities. I don't want to convert this to some sort of charitable aid site, but as Engineers + Scientists we can use our ingenuity. Even just a couple of hours can do something meaningful. Goodwill has a 'knock-on' effect.

Kris

"Associate yourself with men of quality if you esteem your own reputation, for tis better to be alone than in bad company". George Washington, Famous Englishman ?

I agree this has drifted from the technical, but they have half-time in soccer, yes?

Go Manchester United! ?

James

<nod> you got it about right (and are 4th of the google hits when I tried to check it out for you!)

What about this one:

"Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your deeds. Be careful of your deeds, for your deeds become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny."

I used to have this posted above my next at work..it got lost in a desk move.

"Be careful of your thoughts, for your thoughts become words. Be careful of your words, for your words become your deeds. Be careful of your deeds, for your deeds become your habits. Be careful of your habits, for your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, for your character becomes your destiny.......

.....Beware of your destiny, it could be a desk move.

June 2006: Desk B to Desk C

December 2006 (after a week's hol, and with a week of work before finishing for Christmas) Desk C to Desk B - along with organising the rest of the dept's move too. I like my department - they mostly do as I tell them LOL

December 2007 - still in Desk B

Dare I ask; "what of desk 'A' ?"

Thank you, I printed that. I've had a difficult time the last few years. Last night was trying also. I get up, turn on the computer, check e-mails and this Christmas thread kept coming up. Europium's #9, Thank you Jesus. So I said to myself,.... self, read through them all. Then I came across yours, "Be careful of your thoughts.....I had drifted toward the philosophy that GOD blows a whistle and your life begins. After that he just watches. Maybe he does participate, I'm just not looking in the right places......

Thank you

James

Start with a sunset, then a flower opening, the laughter of children...then a time and place of quiet. Learn to listen.

I don't know if the Julian Movement has meetings in the US (be surprised if it doesn't!), you might like to try. I think this is a UK site.

Blessings of MidWinter

Garthh,

Thank you for the thread, it makes one feel a bit better about mankind out there. Sitting here in South Africa I am disgusted by the crime I hear everywhere. Sometimes I think that we God fearing, law abiding citizens are in the minority, but seeing threads like these give me hope.

My good deeds for this Christmas is to find a few victims of crime and try to bring a smile back to their faces. I am going to arrange )read pay for) access to live events, such as concerts by local artists and groups and send these people their. For an hour or so they can then forget about their circumstances and just enjoy themselves.

But I have also decided that I will do my utmost best to make life for a few criminals as difficult as possible. Any ideas will be appreciated, by the way. Another thing is to get involved with legislation. I found out this morning that I can get access to and comment on any new legislation proposed to government (see Weekly Voting Post on 25/11/2005 by Garthh) <--- which I just realised was you too. So I will be onto the government and wherever I can make life difficult for corrupters (like our next President) and other criminals I will do it wholeheartedly and with all my efforts.

Regards,

TC

Disconnect from it. How many points is that, please?

My friends and family will be in adoration of you PWSlack if I disconnect from CR4 for a day. Come to think of it, half the computerized world will be too !

It's slightly subversive, but it could be cool to spend a day looking around for all electrical appliances that don't need to be 'on'. All those horrid red lights indicating the TV or whatever is on 'standby' mode. Some sort of 'Kill Electricity Waste' day would be cool. I'm forever turning plugs and heating off because the principle of waste annoys me. My credo is 'stick a ****** jumper on', you'll also get less colds and infections because you house doesn't incubate germs.

You just gave me another idea - I have loads of clothing in the wardrobe that I haven't worn for ages. I'm not going to leave it on my doorstep for some of those scumbags who pretend to be charities. A quick wash etc and I can deliver it direct to a recognised agency. It may find a user ( Kipper tie excepted) and I'll get my house sorted a bit more. Everyone's a winner !

My contribution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAsGWd8QrFk&feature=related