When I was a young child growing up in the North Woods of Wisconsin my Grandma Hansen always gave me and my siblings socks for Christmas. Every year, year after year. Even when we moved to New Mexico. Every Christmas morning under the tree was a brightly wrapped package from Grandma Hansen. The traditional ritual of squeezing and shaking the gifts always revealed the same thing - socks. “Mom, why does Grandma always send me socks?” I remember lamenting. “Because you need them,” Mom would answer.
After Christmas there was always a requisite session of sitting down all the kids under Mom’s watchful eye as we wrote out our Thank You letters for all our Christmas presents, even the socks.
My Grandmother has long since passed. Looking back at it now, I realize the valuable lesson Grandma taught me about the meaning of Christmas. It’s about socks. Christmas is about giving what is needed, even if it’s not the most expensive thing someone may want.
And while I don’t think it’s practical to send socks to the horses here at FCER (just doing the laundry is a terrifying thought), I do hope you’ll give them what they really need. For those people who live close enough to help out “hands on” that could mean spending time with a horse to help develop trust, fix a gate, or fold the newsletters. That list is quite extensive.
For those who are here in spirit but can’t be physically here at the rescue, please send some socks. While I know writing a check or getting a gift card for Big R isn’t the most glamourous thing in the world, it is what is needed. The day to day expenses of hay, supplements, maintenance and even paying the electric bill aren’t very exciting. But without them, we’ll be running around in the dark with holey socks!
So if you don’t need any socks for Christmas this year, could you ask your friends and family to send them our way?
We promise to say “Thanks!”
Merry Christmas,
Debbie and Terry
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