Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred #4

Today is Tuesday, so that means it's time for another edition of Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred (TN200) -- a blog-exclusive bit o' flash fiction of exactly two-hundred words about a recent item I found in the news.

Since Christmas is fast approaching (only a week from tomorrow!), this story, like my last TN200 post, has a Christmas theme.   I call this one "Walmart Santa" and I hope that you enjoy it -- the link to the original news story is at the end.

=======

Walmart Santa 

It had been a rough year for Karen's family.  Jim had finally gotten a job after being laid off for several months, but it was only half the money he brought home before, and they were struggling to catch up on the bills that had fallen behind.

She'd taken a second part-time job and that helped, but not nearly enough. With Christmas coming fast, she worried the kids wouldn't have much under the tree.  

Karen was trying -- she'd put Brandon's new bike, Brittney's Barbie Dreamhouse, and their other toys on layaway at the Walmart weeks ago, and Karen paid what she could, even if it was only five bucks at a time. 

But it wasn't enough.  She just wasn't going to get the gifts paid off in time, and she found herself starting to cry at the layaway counter.  The woman behind the register looked like she was going to cry too, but there was nothing she could do.

Then Karen met Santa.

He didn't look anything like she'd expected.  There was no white beard, no fur-lined red coat, and no sign of a sleigh or flying reindeer

And Karen had never known Santa was a Red Sox fan.


=======


This will also be my last TN200 post for 2013 -- next Tuesday is Christmas Eve and I'll be participating in the Fifty States of Pray, the Christmas Eve blogfest organized by Mark Koopmans. I will be posting a prayer on that day (representing the state of Indiana), and I don't want a TN200 post to detract from the event.

And then the following Tuesday is New Year's Eve.  Right now, I have nothing special blog-wise planned for that, but I do not expect it to be a huge blogging day anyway.  Plus the very next day is January 1st, and I will have another edition of a post for The Battle of the Bands (BOTB), which posts on the first and the fifteenth of every month.  So I don't think I'll do a TN200 post on that 12/31 Tuesday either, since it's New Year's Eve and when it will be bumped by a new BOTB post the very next day.

So you can look forward to my next Tuesday Newsday Two-Hundred story on January 7th, 2014.

By the way -- you can still vote in my "Christmas Time is Here" Battle of the Band Post from Sunday.  I'll keep the voting open until I chime in with my own vote on Friday or Saturday this week.

Thanks for reading, and your comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated!

14 comments:

  1. Didn't know Santa was a Red Sox fan either!
    Last week was the first time I'd heard the term Walmart Santa. That's a really cool idea.
    Next Tuesday is my last post of the year. Will come back the first Monday in January with a best of 2013 list. And a lot more, I'm sure...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment, Alex! Looking forward to your 50 States of Pray contribution. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous New Year!

      See you in 2014!

      Delete
  2. I was going to say that I thought I'd read this story ... but I hadn't. This is wonderful, but it is the second story I have read about someone paying off strangers' layaway accounts. I think, the other story was a bit sadder, because the "Santa" was a woman who wanted to remain anonymous, but revealed she was suffering from terminal cancer and wanted to do something good before ... you know.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah -- I've been hearing a lot more about the "layaway Santa" thing recently. It might not make my TN200 post have as big of a "surprise" ending, but it's such a good story to use right before Christmas that I went with it anyway. I think it's a great gesture, and even better when done in complete anonymity (nothing against our Red Sox Santa in Florida). And the case you mention is very sad, yet still heart-warming -- how many people would be thinking that way if we were faced with that situation? What a wonderful thing to do.

      I hope you have a fabulous Christmas, Dianne, and a terrific New Years!

      Delete
  3. This story brought a tear to my eye. Okay, a couple of tears. Sometimes the sheer Goodness of people knocks me over.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a bit of a tear-jerker isn't it? But in a good way... ;)

      And despite all the negative news in the media, I choose to believe that most people are basically good.

      Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!

      Delete
  4. What a perfect Christmas story. It's nice to know there are some good people left in the world.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is is, and I know there are many good people left. Unfortunately, you usually only see it in the media after a tragedy where people rush to help. But it's there...

      I hope your Christams and New Year and extraordinarily wonderful!

      Delete
  5. Aw. I've been there and seen that, in person. I love how generous people can become this time of the year. If only we could remember all year round how important each person is, whether they're the lowest of the low, or the star. It's so easy to just look the other way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is great to see that level of generosity, isn't it? And I agree with you -- it is much too easy to overlook those in need. But I also believe most people do want to do what they can to help.

      Have a terrific Christmas and New Year!

      Delete
  6. Oh, that's a sweet story! Wil Wheaton's wife just did that for a couple of families at the Toys R Us near where they live. It's such a lovely idea!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a wonderful thing to do, isn't it? Really helps highlight what Christmas is about -- the giving and the sharing, not the "me, me, me!" attitude that seems so prevalent in the media.

      Have a very merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year!

      Delete
  7. This is such a great story to share! I truly enjoyed reading this.

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

Don't be shy -- feel free to comment. I really appreciate your thoughts.