Mysterious Angel Tree gift card asks for ‘anything’

The church service had concluded. The pastor had suggested that those of us who had not stopped by the Angel Tree in the foyer might want to consider doing so. There was still time, he said, to fulfill the wishes of children in our small community of Camden.

I suspect most of you have seen Angel Trees. Usually, they are not tall. They are set up in some corner of whatever business, office or church they may be in. They are more functional than festive, and most often, they are artificial, though their intent is altogether real.

So, I stopped by the Angel Tree at Grace Episcopal Church. Rectangular, red and white tags hung from the tree — cheerful holiday sentiments expressed on one side, and on the other, the age of a child and what one thing she or he hoped to receive for Christmas.

Yes, a tree trimmed not in baubles and lights and lovely ornaments but a tree decorated with the simplest of dreams — a single, wished-for Christmas present.

Selfishly, I avoided several tags that listed toys in which some kind of fuzzy animal breaks out of an egg. I had read somewhere that they were hard to come by. I was way too busy for an extended toy hunt. Been there, done all that with my own two children way back when.

Then I spied a tag that said “anything.”

I studied the tag more closely. A 14-year-old boy was not asking for specifics, just “anything.”

I grabbed the tag, thinking how easy “anything” would be. Wally World would be my oyster.

It wasn’t until I got home that the reality of the remarkably neutral request hit me.

First of all, it’s been a long time since I’ve been involved in the life of a teenaged boy. There are so many mysteries to be solved. So many minefields to be stepped around. So many moods to be managed. Never mind what’s cool and what’s not. Never mind picking out something from our vast, vast world of stuff that will make a 14-year-old smile.

Anything. Ugh. What was I thinking?

So, I considered returning the tag to the Angel Tree and getting another one. That wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Shoot, maybe I could find the hatching-animal gizmo if I looked hard enough?

But the “anything” tag persisted.

It sat on the small table next to my den sofa. It might as well have been strung with as many bright lights as my Christmas tree, beckoning me to look, to behold its message.

Here, on a piece of paper, was as strong a story of need as I would likely find this holiday season. A child laid so low by the circumstances of his young life that he wished only for “anything.” A child so dispirited by his world that he could not think of one specific thing he would like to have. A child so weary of wanting that whatever would do.

Bam.

Talk about a solid punch to the soul.

I was reminded of my own many, many blessings. I was directed to look beyond myself and to do unto others, the others I don’t know and could easily disregard.

All to say the kid’s getting a bike and the “anything” tag has meant everything to me this Christmas season.

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Mysterious Angel Tree gift card asks for ‘anything’."