Funny hats

Ben Prom sports a jaunty look with a corn hat and a Christmas tree hat

Oh, we are all about hats here at CRC, especially at this time of year when a legion of volunteers joins us to sort inventory for our giant Christmas Giveaway. In the next week, we will distribute more than $100,000 in Christmas gifts to our nonprofit partners so their clients will be remembered this holiday season. And that involves a lot of sorting.

So Saturday we had a group in and Betsy, the originator of the hat requirement, bought festive head gear for all of them. I can’t tell you how impressed I am that these two guys were secure enough in their manhood to wear these things. We spent five hours sorting gifts into boxes that we can pull from to make up our “piles” for our partners. There are the predictable categories: men, women, teen girls, teen boys, children. And then there are our own inventions: God Box (for religious items that will go to faith-based nonprofits) and Granny Box (for gifts suitable for senior centers).

We always run across some fairly silly stuff when sorting. How about the Mr. Romantic Doll (with 16 romantic phrases including “Why don’t you make dinner and I’ll make breakfast?” Hehe). Or the plastic Queen Elizabeth statue with the solar-powered waving hand. Who wouldn’t want that?

You know, I have to say that I love my job all year long but especially at this time of year. Spending a Saturday in the warehouse with great people wearing silly hats, sweets from the Hermitage Bakery, biscuits from Cracker Barrel and piles of stuff, most of which will mean so much to the recipients is a good thing. No, it’s a great thing.