Yesterday, I just confirmed an event at the end of November, with Willem Lange for the picture book version of his beloved Christmas story, Favor Johnson: A Christmas Story. What makes this special is how quickly the event went from a reading and signing event to a true celebration of the Christmas spirit.
With three phone calls I made the event wonderful. I spoke to the contact at Food Shelf to find out what folks should donate. The need is great this year and anything non-perishable will be a huge help to the families who use the food pantry.
The second phone call was to Village Wine and Coffee Shop. Kevin Clayton, the owner, leaped at the chance to provide hot chocolate for the event. The third call was to the Open Arms Cafe, whose owner thought supplying fresh baked chocolate chip cookies would be a lovely addition to this holiday event.
So, in the span of 15 minutes, my event went from exciting (anything with Willem Lange is automatically fun), to cozy lovely, meaningful and full of community. No one needed cajoling or to be convinced to participate. It’s just so nice to live in a place where everyone is willing to help create a wonderful event, and in this day and age when sometimes everything can be a struggle, a simple “Yes, I’d love to help ” just makes my day.