The Spirit of Fishmas

By Allison Miles

Each year when Christmas time rolls around, it brings me back to my childhood and some of the happiest memories I have growing up. Our house always smelled like a neighborhood bakery with fresh cookies and homemade fudge coming out of the oven for hours on end. Half of the goodies were consumed in the packaging process by my mother’s wonderful little helpers, while the other half actually made it into the decorative tins we’d deliver during our neighborhood caroling route.

And then there was Bing Crosby joining my mother and me at the kitchen table singing “White Christmas” while we wrapped our holiday loot and sipped on our cups of hot cocoa filled to the brim with marshmallows. But the absolute favorite part of Christmas for me has always been the spirit of giving. Whether it’s a volunteer ringing a bell in the frigid temperatures while passers-by find something left to give after a day of shopping, or someone picking a gift tag off a tree in a store to give a child they’ve never met a very special Christmas. The true spirit can be seen if you take a moment to look at all the acts of kindness.

Every year we fill up a bag of winter clothes and coats and donate them to the Salvation Army. We participate in Toys for Tots and donate a little something to our four legged friends at the MSPCA.

My Angler-2-Angler tip this month is simple, the technique can be mastered by anyone and the result will always be life changing. Give back. That’s it. There are so many children who never get to wake up to a tree adorned with ornaments and presents. Some have never even seen a trail that Santa exists. This year I’m broadening my giving by incorporating the spirit of “Fishmas” into it. Along with donating clothes, coats, food and toys, I’ll also be donating fishing rods & tackle for kids. It will put an extra big smile on my face to imagine a child not only opening up a gift, but possibly a whole new world they might not have otherwise entered. With a little help, we might just see the next generation of anglers grow even
 bigger and be filled with more passion for the sport than our own.

Check out your local fishing clubs for charity gift drop-offs or donate to charities. The Fishing Academy and The West End House Camp are both great examples of organizations that invest in our youth and future anglers.

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