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Thursday 15 December 2022

Treeeemendous

Here are the Christmas trees I saw on Sunday. The festival was organised by the Rotary Club, and was held at Old Brumby United Church. The two charities involved were Lindsey Lodge Hospice, and Macmillan Cancer Support. Donations were shared equally between them. There were 70 decorated trees to view, with entertainment by the church choir. 










This is the selfie corner. You can choose a stick with an appropriate message and pose in front of the giant Christmas wreath. 
I had a lot of fun as I walked around. It was free to go in, but I put £10 in the donation box. I had a go at a competition, guess how long it took someone to build a small Lego tree. It was £1 for three guesses. I put £10 in the box. Someone was selling home made greetings cards. I asked for a big Christmas card for my best friend. She found one for me. I handed over £10 and said no change required, it's a donation. Another stall had Christmas bits and bobs for sale. I asked how much is the box of baubles. She said £5. I said, no that's too cheap, and gave her £10. I left with a smile on my face, knowing that I had made four people smile. 

When I went to our village Christmas Fair earlier in the month, I asked all the stalls if they are a charity. Six of them were, so I gave them all £10 each. This is my new way to make charitable donations. I will not sign up for direct debits, if anyone wants to accept my cash I will gladly dip into my purse. Those who don't want it, miss out. 

I've had a good day today. Walked six miles. Went to the park and made a video inside the Hall, and fed the ducks again. It's going to take a while to upload the video, I will get it started before I go to bed, it will be ready in the morning. 

Thanks for popping in. Toodle pip.   ilona

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13 comments:

  1. Tammy_Ray15 December 2022 at 22:57

    What a wonderful way to spend your day..giving to others. That to me is what the season should be about..giving. ♥️🎄♥️🎄. Excited about tomorrow’s video.

    Tammy 😊

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    Replies
    1. Meanqueen16 December 2022 at 09:14

      It was great fun. If I was a millionaire it would have been a lot more than £10.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous15 December 2022 at 23:04

    Hi Ilona, I applaud your donation plans. I have started doing a new way as well. I went to lunch out last week, a very rare occurrence (my husband was at the dentist). The server was hugely pregnant and very nice, and did a great job. When I left I tipped normally on the bill then added a $50 bill in the payment case. Then left, I didn’t see her when she got it open but I hope it helps her. Hilogene in Az

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    1. Meanqueen16 December 2022 at 09:18

      It's nice to reward someone personally for good service. I think it should always be optional. None of this adding it onto the bill malarkey.

      Delete
    2. Dave17 December 2022 at 14:55

      It really depends on the model in the country. In some countries, for example Japan, it is considered rude to tip. In other countries, for example the US, some staff get much of their income for tips…their actual hourly pay is low because it is the culture to tip. Nothing to do with malarkey at all.

      Delete
  3. The Furry Gnome15 December 2022 at 23:46

    Some creative decorating there!

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    1. Meanqueen16 December 2022 at 09:22

      I was a bit disappointed that nearly all the trees were ordinary green or silver artificial trees which you might buy from a discount store. The decorations were nice. I remember on previous visits that a lot of thought had been put into creating the actual tree using discarded materials.

      Delete
  4. Cherie16 December 2022 at 02:21

    You made several people happy today. That's a great way to donate to charities that you want to support.

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    1. Meanqueen16 December 2022 at 09:26

      I am going to concentrate on local charities, rather than sign up to a large well know charity. I shall continue to send cheques to two animal charities. Bransby Horses in Lincolnshire, and Goodheart Animal Sanctuary in the West Midlands.

      Delete
  5. Mark16 December 2022 at 08:09

    You might be a 'mean queen' but you can be very generous too. 'There is more joy in giving than there is in recieving' someone once said.

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    1. Meanqueen16 December 2022 at 09:29

      I am stuck with that name. I might have been mean with my money when I had very little, but now I can loosen up and spread a little happiness. Just so see the smile is reward enough. Paying it forward and hope the message gets passed on.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous16 December 2022 at 23:41

    So happy to be able to comment from time to time again, Ilona. This post brought tears to my eyes and struck me deeply. I've always donated and then used the receipt for income tax. Since my income is so low, as is my husbands, we can't use our charitable donation receipts or medical expenses on our yearly income taxes. I'm loving giving to worthy causes without the need for recognition (via receipts). I also like your idea of donating to local charities instead of the larger well known ones. I wish you a Happy Christmas and all things that make you the happiest in 2023.
    Margaret in Canada

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    1. Meanqueen18 December 2022 at 08:13

      Thank you Margaret. The trolls keep coming. There is something wrong with them. What compels someone to come back time and time again just to be rude and sarcastic. Were they always like that, or has some traumatic experience scrambled their brain.

      One week to go to Christmas. I hope you have a lovely time, and let's welcome 2023 as a year of hope and love.

      Delete

Comments will be published after my approval.