Christmas Stories: Renting parents for the holidays and ugly Christmas sweaters

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Calarugashawk media. Who doesn't like a
nice, happy story this time of year?

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Hi, I'm Johnny Mack and it's
another special episode of five Good News

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Christmas Stories. A disaster. While
all her classmates at William Jessup University near

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Sacramento were eagerly making plans with family
and friends for their trips back home for

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the holidays, junior student Jackie Turner
was worried she would be the only one

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left on campus for Christmas. This
time of year is hard, Jackie admitted.

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Everyone is talking about their cousins,
their families, all the things that

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make up Christmas. Jackie revealed that
she didn't have any of those familial connections.

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In fact, she had never experienced
them. In an interview with CBS

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News, she shared that her childhood
was marked by abuse, devoid of the

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warm, festive experiences her classmates described. Instead of succumbing to self pity,

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the straight A student took an unconventional
step. She posted an ad on Craigslist

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offering eight dollars per hour to rent
parents for the holidays, maybe for like

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a couple hours. She said in
her ad, just be like the light

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of their life for that moment.
The response to her ad was overwhelming.

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She received dozens of replies, about
half from parents offering their help for free,

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and the other half from young people
who empathized with her situation. Motivated

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by this, Jackie organized a meet
up Christmas potluck dinner. People are hurting

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and broken and we need each other, Jackie expressed during the event. We

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need to be loving people, and
I think that's what tonight's about. That

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holiday season, Jackie not only found
a mentor for herself, but also facilitated

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connections between those in need and those
willing to give. She has continued to

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host annual meetups with a potluck Christmas
dinner, firmly believing that no one should

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ever have to feel alone on Christmas. A situation involving a fake sign language

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interpreter at Nelson Mandela's Memorial led a
deaf mother to showcase authentic sign language communication.

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Laurie shared a video of how her
five year old daughter Claire, skillfully

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signed for her deaf parents during a
kindergarten holiday concert at Plumb Elementary School.

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A YouTube video featured Claire, identifiable
by her blonde hair, energetically singing and

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signing an American sign language with her
classmates, her mother speaking to Today,

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Mom's commented on Claire's vibrant expressions.
She is full of personality and spunk.

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That's the Claire we know. The
video even caught the attention of Marlee Matlin,

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a well known deaf actress. Laurie
Coke, a business analyst at video

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relay service for the deaf and heart
of Hearing, and her husband, Tom,

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who runs a scuba business, were
both born deaf. Their daughters,

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Claire and Charlotte, are hearing,
but have been exposed to American sign language

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since birth. Laurie explained Claire used
sign language in the play because she was

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considerate of us and wanted us to
understand the lyrics to the song. She

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was signing to her parents, looking
right into my iPhone as she knew I

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was recording her. We don't use
our daughter as an interpreter, but if

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there is something we missed, she
would likely relay it to us. At

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the peak of the Great Depression,
a family found themselves reliant on home relief,

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the era's version of welfare. It
was nineteen thirty five, and they

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resided on the first floor of a
walk up in Brooklyn, New York.

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The child a ten year old witnessed
a somber scene a few days before Christmas

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through the kitchen window. Their father
seated on the stoop, overwhelmed with despair

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and tears. As the mailman neared
their building, he inquired about the father's

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distress. Overheard was the father's admission
of exhausting his food vouchers and falling behind

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on rent. Efforts to earn earn
through the works progress administration had proven feudle

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for him, as he lacked the
physical strength for such demanding labor. Fear

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hung in the air, fueled by
images of evicted families that the child had

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seen in newspapers. The mailman,
upon learning the amount needed to cover the

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rent, immediately offered fifty dollars from
his own wallet. The father's uncertainty about

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repaying this kindness was met with a
reassuring embrace and the mailman's indifference to repayment.

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Noticing the child peering through the window, the mailman imparted a lesson of

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hope and future goodwill. He suggested
that remembrance of this act of kindness should

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inspire similar generosity when others are in
need, considering such acts as the true

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repayment of his deed. Inspired by
this event, the father made it his

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life's mission to help others whenever possible, a legacy that the child too,

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embraced and carried forward for the better
part of a decade's Each Christmas, Jesse

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Tignani, a dedicated cafeteria worker at
Chicago's Advocate Trinity Hospital, has undertaken a

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heartwarming mission. She purchases thousands of
dollars worth of toys for all the children

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at the state's largest pediatric care facility. To fund this generous endeavor, Tignani

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diligently sets aside a portion of her
monthly paycheck. In a particularly ambitious effort

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this year, she took time off
on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, rented

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a U haul, and spent five
thousand dollars on a variety of toys such

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as Dolly buggies, electric keyboards,
and soccer balls. These gifts were thoughtfully

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selected to bring joy to children of
all ages during the festive season. In

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an interview with Good Morning America,
Tignani expressed her deep satisfaction with her charitable

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efforts. I feel so blessed to
have this opportun unity to serve these children,

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she said. I feel great,
and I feel at peace because what

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I do is to put a smile
on the face of a child who is

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going through so much. Whatever the
pain they might go through, her actions

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reflect not just a seasonal gesture,
but a profound commitment to bringing happiness to

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children enduring health challenges during what should
be a joyful time of year. If

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you don't have your Ugly Christmas sweater
yet, here are some options for you.

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The Friend's Christmas Sweater combines characters from
various holiday films like Home Alone,

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The Grinch, and a Christmas Story, but not Chandler nor Monica. They

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have a Merry Fiery Christmas Sweater is
a guy fiery themed sweater for food and

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Internet culture enthusiasts. Your college aged
children may enjoy the Beer Pong Ugly Christmas

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Sweater, a party themed sweater with
detachable cups and included ping pong ball,

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and last, but not least,
the squirrel in the Christmas Tree Ugly sweater

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features a three D squirrel. Those
are your five good news Christmas stories for

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today. Thanks to Johnny Mack for
letting me pitch in. I'm Aster Ireland.

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Have a great day.