SPECIAL GIFT: Wondering what to give that special person on your
Christmas list?

Vivian Doerr of Emporium has some great advice: “I’m sending
this to family. I practice what I preach. The verse (below) is
something I found somewhere a long time ago in a newspaper.”

“So many of you asked me, since Yuletide’s drawing near, ‘What
do you want for Christmas? What can we give you this year?’

“If I say I want nothing, you buy something anyway, so here’s a
list of what I’d like, believe now what I say:

“Pajamas for a little child, food to feed the poor; blankets for
a shelter, and ask but little more —

Perform good deeds and let me know, or volunteer your time.

These last are worth a fortune, and they needn’t cost a
dime.

I have too many things now, vases, candles, tapes and
clocks.

I have my fill of garments of underwear and socks.

Candy is too fattening, crossword books I have more than 20

I don’t need trays or plates or cups, and knick-knacks I have
plenty.

“I’ve no walls to hang more pictures, I have books not yet
read

So please take what you’d spend on me and help the poor
instead.

Just send a Christmas card to me and tell me what you’ve
done,

I’ll open them on ‘Christmas Eve,’ and read them one by one.

“It won’t cost as much as postage, as a package sent would
do

You’ll need no wrapping paper, ribbons, ink or glue

And I’ll thank God you listened to what I had to say

So I could be the instrument to help someone this way.

Just keep me in you prayers.”

POST SCRIPT: Mrs. Doerr tells us her husband, Florian J. Doerr,
was a printer at various newspapers in New York, California, Las
Vegas, Nev., and Florida, from the time he was 18 until he passed
away at age 83. “He was a real ‘gypsy,” she said. His time as a
printer included a stint at the Buffalo Evening News.

We thank Mrs. Doerr for passing along these comments. Well
said.