Quietly sharing the joy

Every year in Montgomery, a quiet exchange takes place.

You’ve seen it in Aging Services for Communities (ASC), the Happy Hour Bar and a photo in the Montgomery Messenger: two small Christmas trees decorated with cards that contain items wished for by local residents who need a little cheer or help around the holidays.

This year, more than one hundred tags with Christmas wishes decorated the trees.

Names aren’t on the tags, but gift suggestions are like socks, candy, Kleenex, hand wash or coloring books for adults. Each year thoughtful and generous residents take a tag or two or three, buy the items listed, and return them to the two businesses. The givers’ names are unwritten and unspoken.

This Montgomery tradition has been ongoing for decades and continued this year. According to Eileen Senga, who coordinates the program with ASC, all the gift wishes on the Sharing Tree have been filled and delivered.

“The community was very thoughtful and generous again this year,” she said. “Almost all of the tags were taken, and we had monetary donations by the Knights of Columbus and several residents. Those funds were used to buy for some of the tags that weren’t taken by the program deadline. Of more than 100 tags, I only had to buy for four.” While some of the gifts were small like socks or hair ties, one resident received a large gift, a brand-new television.

“One of the Sharing Tree residents asked for a television. Someone won one, a 32 inch I believe, in a drawing and fulfilled the request. That was so thoughtful,” she said.

The community’s donations also spread the...

To see more on this story pick up the December 22, 2022 print edition of the Montgomery Messenger.