Thanksgifting and Thankful for a Job

Today the Kingstowne Library staff and volunteers held their annual Thanksgifting party. No, that's not a typo: Thanksgifting.

Some companies have holiday parties with a secret Santa gift exchange. Instead of spending money on gifts for each other, the Kingstowne staff came up with the idea of buying toys. Each wraps a toy and leaves it on a table in the room where they will later have the party--no names on the tags. Then each person has a turn opening a gift and guessing who brought it--based on the gift, the wrapping paper, or even intuition. They learn a lot about each other in the process. Afterwards, all of the unwrapped gifts are taken to a local charity, Koinonia, that gives the toys to the families supported by their food bank and other year-round efforts. Koinonia says this year they have an even larger need for toys than in the past--and far fewer donations are being received. I admire the library staff for beginning the Thanksgifting idea and for including the library volunteers in the meeting/party.

But the day was not just about toys. I was also impressed with the three staff members from other nearby libraries who covered all library services during the Thanksgifting event. I was told this is how branches hold all-staff meetings: they arrange for coverage from other branches. Wouldn't it be nice if more things in life worked that way? It's so efficient.

Although this was a staff meeting and important things were discussed, the festive spirit prevailed. Still, I could not help but look around the room and count the people who were once staff librarians but were laid off during last year's budget cut. And obviously I could not help but watch the people who are pegged to leave when next year's budget cuts are finalized. Even though they know their jobs are on the line, they still bought and brought presents for less fortunate children.

I first heard about Thanksgifting last year, when I read about it in an article by one of the librarians. (She is one of the people targeted for a layoff.) This year I attended and saw what it was all about. Next year, I hope to throw a Thanksgifting party of my own or start a trend so that my friends who still work in offices or for companies with holiday parties might pick up this idea.

Happy Thanksgifting, Everyone! May your heart guide you.