Not this year......... Lady!

I stopped in on my friend Carolyn after work Friday night..it was only six-thirty and her apartment was dark..I knocked on the door a few times and was almost ready to give up, when her porch light came on and I could hear her stirring inside to open the door.
She stood there in the doorway..looking a little dazed.."Did I get you up?" I asked. She said..."That's okay, come on in!" She reminded me of an elf with her hats and her nicker-looking drawers and knee socks! Yes, I said hats..she was wearing two..every time I have stopped to see her she has always come to the door with a hat on..a brown knitted stocking hat that is high..like the "cat in the hat" stuffed toy that hangs from her door...I think she has a thing for hats, as she has several displayed in various spots in her humble abode....I stopped to give her a little something for Christmas and to see how she was doing...She had a cute little revolving tree with lit bells on it in the corner........a neighbor had loaned it to her. It played a Christmas tune as it twirled around and caused lights to dance on the wall behind..The lighting was bad in her living room..........she reached into the gift bag and pulled out the presents and was noticeably surprised..I think she liked the stuffed little gingerbread man the best..she has quite a collection of teddybears and stuffed animals perched on her couch...I told her there was a card too....I had to read it cause it was too dark for her to see what I wrote in it...I told her that she was a special friend and that she was always welcome at my house...and I would be her taxi if she ever needed one! She got a little wimpy on me and teared up a little..but, I told her she had better quit..cause I would be bawlin' too! She had a huge horn of plenty full of fruit on her kitchen counter and asked that I take some, since she couldn't possibly eat it all..so I stuck an apple and an orange in the gift bag, spent a few more minutes visiting and told her I was kind of
tired from work and had to be heading home.....wished her a Merry Christmas and as I was leaving to go to my car, I felt a heaviness in my heart..because I knew that she would be spending her Christmas alone most likely and I know that that's just not going to happen, because I intend to pay her a visit sometime on Christmas Day.........Because no-one should have to spend Christmas alone!
The reason I'm sharing this little holiday encounter with you all, is to remind everyone to think about all the lonely people out there who may be in the same shoes as Carolyn and not have anyone to share the holiday with. Think of how you would feel if it were you....alone at Christmas...I know that if it were me..I wouldn't like it one bit! Christmas is about sharing and that doesn't mean just sharing things, it means sharing yourself, your time, sometimes a hug or a smile make all the difference in the world to a heart that is lonely or hurting...some of the greatest gifts are those of no visible substance..........