Merry Pre-Christmas.

P.S., As we prepare for the nation’s third best holiday, I wish you the best, but please don't send me anything. I don't need anything, including new underwear and socks.

I know that sounds like the Grinch, but please go along with me on this one.

Most folks my age have way too much stuff. 

Kitchen gadgets? Got enough. Clothes? Check. Tools? Got plenty. Grover’s Hardware store has anything I might need. FYI, Grover’s (Bully for them) is a real hardware store where you can still buy nails by the pound.

I think I might need a new set of ice cleats for my winter boots, but I will get a pair the next time I remember to do so.

Books? If I get bored this winter, I have a wall filled with books I have read and might read again. In any case, if a new book tickles my fancy, the wonderful ladies at Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library and their Southport colleagues are always happy to find it for me. The other day, I saw a post that said Google can find you thousands of answers, but a librarian can find you the correct one. Hmmm? 

Electronic toys? Got too many. Much to the surprise of my grandchildren, I am learning how to operate them, (er) for the most part.

My health is mostly good. I got plenty of pills and potions. I could use a left hip that works without squeaking during my morning group walk, but that is a present with a price tag that is way beyond your and my budgets. The next time I drive to Togus, I might mention it to the VA doc. 

Enough of this rant. You get it.

Now, if your psyche demands that you give someone a present, here are a few suggestions.

Send a buck or two to one of the many remembrance groups in Lewiston. Things like that tragedy should never happen in Maine or this nation. But it did, and we should remember. You can find a dozen worthy outfits trying to make this terrible situation tolerable. 

One of the best of all the do-good organizations is the Salvation Army. Over the years of dealing with the public, I have encountered dozens of folks in need. The good folks at the Salvation Army never put my call on hold. And, in my experience, they never turn up their noses at someone who happens to be down on his or her luck. I might send them a check myself.

Your local food pantry should make the list. If you go through the list of Midcoast real estate homes for sale, you will find properties priced at amounts almost equal to the GNP of small nations like France or Belgium. That does not mean everyone in our neighborhood lives in a mansion, far from it. 

There are lots of folks just getting by, while others could use a hand, and your local food pantry can fill that need. Neighbors helping neighbors is always a good idea.

Our local volunteer firefighters who respond to our life-threatening incidents can always use a buck or two. Teachers, bless them all, are known to spend their own money to provide things they know their kids need but were somehow left out of their annual budget.

Do you know about the Woodchucks? A donation to them is a fine idea. You know them. They are Old Dudes with chainsaws who haul, cut, split and store wood all summer so they can give it away to folks who could use a cord of split oak to get through a cold winter night.

I know the idea of Grandpa firing up a chainsaw might send Grandma into a tizzy and have the kids wondering about The Will. But the Woodchucks still soldier on. Bless them all.

These are just a few suggestions. By no means are they the only groups that deserve your support. There are churches, veterans organizations, civic clubs, animal shelters, conservation outfits and even a, gulp, political candidate who could use a check.

Do you remember I said Christmas is the third best holiday? In my book, number one is Thanksgiving. We live in a society filled with conflict and noise. Thanksgiving is when we pause, shut out all that noise, gather together, and reflect on our blessings.

In my book, we celebrate the second-best American holiday on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May and November. That is when we get the chance to have a say on who runs the joint. Most residents of Mother Earth never get to vote at all. 

Merry Christmas to all.