By Krystle J Bailey
Happy Thanksgiving, Shore Local families. As I write this, I am looking forward to post-turkey, full-belly cuddles following Thursday night’s dinner. The warmth of the holidays is what I like to call “soul-nourishing.” Whether you celebrate a traditional American Thanksgiving or your own cultural variation of the day, the fourth Thursday of November is an invitation to slow down and settle the internal systems as we gather around the people we love.
As I reflected on growing up in South Jersey during the holidays, I found myself reminiscing about the Thanksgivings of my youth. Each year, my family would host U.S. Coast Guard recruits through Operation Fireside – a partnership between the American Red Cross and the U.S. Coast Guard that was started in 1981 to allow recruits the opportunity to celebrate the holiday with a host family.
The night before Thanksgiving, my sister and I would sleep over my Uncle Jeff’s house to create a new home video that we would showcase to our family the next day. While we filmed and edited movies like “The Cookie” and our Christmas music special, where I jammed on the drums to Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” our mom would drive to Cape May to pick up our guests.
The recruits, who were spending the first holiday season away from their families, were eager to sneak away from basic training for the day to enjoy a big meal and football on the couch. They quickly became family members, and with each passing year, we were sad to drive them back to base at the end of the night.
As I fondly recalled these family memories and thought about the second part of the holiday’s compound name, “giving,” I was inspired to write about the gift of time. We often talk about giving back in the way of donations and service, both of which are invaluable acts of love. But what about the “present of your presence?”
If you asked me to recall what gifts I got during those years, I couldn’t tell you. What I could tell you is that I remember the time I put my foot in the pumpkin pie in the back of my uncle’s truck, and everyone decided to let me graciously off the hook, but we laughed about it every Thanksgiving for the next ten years. I can tell you about the time spent curled up in my grandfather’s arms after dinner and the looks on everyone’s faces when they watched our homemade movies. I can tell you stories about how my boy-crazy, pubescent self couldn’t wait to find out if the recruits would be nice-looking and the jokes my mom would lovingly make about my puppy crushes. Or the time my Uncle J.R. and I tossed dinner rolls across a full table of people rather than passing the basket because it was more convenient. Before everyone was caught up in their phones and rushing off to the next place during holidays, all we did was spend time together.
All the cliches about time exist for a reason because it truly does fly; it certainly doesn’t wait, and as much we we all would like, we can’t turn back its hands. This holiday season, as we think about ways we can give back, I encourage you to remember that a little dose of love and some good company goes a long way for someone’s well-being, especially during the holidays.
Those recruits were not missing out on anything tangible. They were stripped down to the bare minimum as they completed their basic training and looked forward to serving our country in the Coast Guard. They couldn’t return to base with gifts or food, only full bellies and full hearts after spending the day surrounded by people who love each other. That was our gift to them – a thank you for their service. As with most intangible gifts, it was reciprocal. The time they spent at our home gave us a lifetime of fond memories at the start of each holiday season.
Whether you sit down with a stranger and spark conversation or visit a friend you haven’t seen in quite a while, when you think about giving this season, try to think of some non-tangible ways you can spread the holiday cheer.
For more ways to give back, check out more stories in this edition of Shore Local, including the article about the Toys for Kids Program.
