Dad's generosity a special gift for a young daughter

It was not out of the ordinary for my father to enjoy the holiday season. Many of my Christmas memories are that of most children, aside from one very unique Christmas that I remember in vivid detail.

For more than 15 years we have attended St. Paul's Church in Lodi, and every year around Christmas time the congregation places a tree in the sanctuary with the children's names whom are in need of their Christmas wish to be granted.

That year as Christmas grew closer my Dad pointed out to me that many tags still upon the tree that should by that time be bare. My Dad motioned to me to pick a few names off of the tree. I headed over to the tree thinking, (in my young mind) I will pick a younger child because toys were more fun to buy and truthfully less expensive. I only came across a few young children's name tags, and there hung still many 15 and 17 year old children's name tags. My father again motioned to me to take the rest of the tags that hung upon the tree. I believe that very day we walked away with 30 names to be exact.

That afternoon Dad and I headed out to the store and we shopped till we fulfilled each and every child's Christmas wish. My Dad not buying the first thing that he found but finding exactly what was that child's wish. I remember walking up to the register thinking "This is going to cost a fortune." One thing that I did know very clearly was that we purchased a lot of gifts that many children were going to love. Later on that afternoon we delivered all the gifts to "Lodi Adopt-A-Child," knowing that there would be some big smiles this Christmas.

The thing that makes this the most memorable Christmas ever is that not only was it an afternoon out for my Dad and I, but I knew my Dad would have gone without a gift it meant that a child would smile during the holiday season.

Without that trip to the church that day I would still be taking only one or two names off the tree and now I think to grab a few extra names each year because my Dad shaped me to be the person that I am today by instilling in me the values that I have today that have been passed on now to my own children. Thanks Dad!

Erin Ianni-Andrews
Lodi