Jingle Babies at the Shelter

Quick Visit

On Tuesday, I took only a few things out to the Women's Shelter, for Quilt Time With the Kids. The Quilt has helped me gather with children at the Shelter for over 15 years, now.

We sang some songs and Pickles the Puppet came out, for a while. I kept it low-key.
 
I learned years back, to let the community groups come in, with holiday parties and gifts. Thank goodness there are lots of people out there who help make Christmas at the Shelter a little brighter.

I tried to keep it simple and keep it calm, which is actually very hard for me.

​After a bit, I brought out a bag of about 25 old Beanie Babies.

I told the kids the animals were looking for homes, if anyone cared to adopt. These were not gifts... gifts are usually new. 

How sweet to see the faces of the kids, as I put the stuffed pets in the middle of the quilt.

We talked about where the Beanie Babies came from. The kids wanted to know how old my kids were now.

​They seemed more drawn to the ones that looked the most loved. And they liked the idea that my grown kids wanted the animals to be cared for. It's nice to be needed.

We went clockwise around the circle and each child picked. Then we went the opposite direction and the kids picked another. There were extras for latecomers. Then I put out bells and metal stars and gold cord. The kids decorated their pets. Older kids helped the younger ones. Some of the older kids wanted my help... just because it's fun to get help. Then we picked up the Jingle Babies and I blasted "Jingle Bells" from the portable speaker. We sang and jumped and jingled around the room a while.

Like I said, it's sometimes hard for me, to be totally calm.

20+ years Ago

The kids at the Shelter had wanted to know about my kids. As I drove home I thought about 1996, when my kids were young and Beanie Babies were a big deal. Christmas was simple and life was good. My kids and their friends knew the names of every Beanie Baby that was sold...

My kids didn't know much about shelters and abuse. But a few years later, they began volunteering at the Women's Shelter. I remember the conversations, driving home in the car, after spending time at the Shelter. They learned  a lot from those visits.

We still have a lot of Beanie Babies living in an upstairs closet. My kids have happily allowed me to share their collection over the years, so you'd think they'd all be gone. It's kind of fun to know there are Heidi & Scott Beanie Babies, living in New Mexico and Arizona... Mexico and Guatemala. 

While putting away the Quilt, I noticed "Wrinkles" in the closet. That had been the favorite in 1996.

I gave Wrinkles a bell and a place of honor downstairs. We won't have kids in the house for Christmas this year, but we have lots of fun reminders! 

​Merry Christmas!