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Over the Back Fence By HANK HENRY Enjoy the season; give of yourself At least I waited until after Thanksgiving was over to do a column on Christmas. These days it is hard to tell when the Christmas season begins. If the stores have anything to do with it, the season began last week, or maybe even the week before that. When I was a kid in the 1930s, Christmas shopping lasted only a week or two, probably because the average family didn�t have much money for buying gifts, and a lot of the families did not have a single member working a regular job. People survived in those days because relatives helped, and they could turn to soup kitchens and charity organizations. I am doing this Christmas column because earlier this month, I came down with the worst head cold I can remember. It lasted 10 days and really threw my schedule off track. I was fast approaching my deadline, so my wife, Nora, volunteered to ask friends and neighbors for advice on enjoying the Christmas season. Here�s our group recipe for a merry Christmas: 1. Don�t be a perfectionist. Tradition is fine as long as it doesn�t become rigid. 2. Love is the main ingredient for a good Christmas. Love your children and don�t be disappointed in yourself. Go out of your way to forgive someone. 3. Don�t overlook the unlovely this time of year. Don�t just write a check to charity and forget the less fortunate. Visit a nursing home or an assisted-living facility. Those living in such places will tell you that "out of sight, out of mind" really happens. Many go for months without having a single visitor. 4. Listen to music, particularly music that feeds the soul. 5. Feed a wild bird a crust of bread or hang a porous sack of seeds on a branch. It�s winter for them, too. 6. Be courteous when driving. High blood pressure is the last thing you need. If the person in the car ahead is weaving around, give him or her the benefit of the doubt. 7. Go to a children�s program at a school or church, but also appreciate the work adults put in to make the event happen. 8. Write a note to someone about why you appreciate him or her. 9. Don�t be pessimistic about our country. Democracy works. 10. Sing. 11. Stop spending so much money. Remember, January follows December. This reminds me of a couple in Jacksonville who say, "People are more important than gifts." What gives joy does not cost money � such things as kindness, honesty, caring and the sharing of oneself. So rather than giving each other a gift this year, they are participating in "The Heifer Project." Under this program, people in Central and South America are supplied with farm animals. The program is self-perpetuating since the recipients of the cow agree to give the first female calf to a needy family. When the second family receives a calf, family members agree to give their first female calf to still another family. The organization also gives away dairy goats that produce several quarts of milk a day and sheep to provide wool for weaving. Rabbits and pigs are also available. All of these animals are donated to natives who agree to give away the first female offspring from the animal they received. Heifer Project International is endorsed by former President Jimmy Carter. For details, call 1-800-422-0755 or donate online at www.heifer.org There are literally hundreds of other worthwhile projects if you just look for them. (Hank Henry is a retired Jackson County commissioner and a former radio and television announcer. Call him at 772-9055.) Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.