Kudos to Colleen!

Let me backtrack just a bit, and tell you about Christmas Eve.

Our incredibly generous apartment manager, Colleen, organized a Christmas Eve Open House for the residents of our complex. Now, Colleen doesn't do anything halfway, and the Open House was no exception. She began baking just after Thanksgiving, and continued until the day before the event... I know - I was there. There were cookies, bars and treats of every description. There were mini sandwiches, meat and cheese trays, mexican cheese dip, meatballs, little smokies and delicious punch, and everything was paid for out of her own pocket. She and I worked until after 10 pm on the 23rd trying to get everything set out and organized, and ended up being greatly rewarded by the appreciation of all the people who showed up. Kenin helped out a lot, too, and now has plenty of places to run off to if I ever lose my mind and kick him out. You should've seen all the little old ladies practically swooning over him!

Anyway, during all the preparation, I saw how exhausted poor Colleen was, and I asked her if it was worth all the trouble. She immediately answered that it was. She told me that so many of the residents, due to age or health problems, were unable to go anywhere for the holiday, or no longer even had any family left to go to, and this was her way of giving them Christmas and letting them know that they were still cared about. At that point, I couldn't quite understand how she could deprive herself from something so basic as sleep, just to do this for people who weren't her family. The next day, however, made me completely understand. The Open House was a huge success! Everyone was so greatful for it, and really seemed to have a good time. Newer residents met older ones, and the few children that were there were a big hit and adored by most everyone (my own little one drove me crazy, but that's another story LOL). The event itself only lasted for 3 hours, but the feeling of caring and giving that came along with it will last forever, and I feel so lucky to have been able to be a part of it.