Celebrating the Holidays JLW Style

I'm not an organized shopper. I've always envied those people that keep their Christmas list for six months and shop along the way. I think it's the way I was raised. My father and I would always have a special trip to find something for my mom on Christmas Eve.

This year, I'm ready. I'm ready only because of JLW and their unofficial "please shop til you drop" month of December. Most Junior Leagues go MIA once Thanksgiving comes, but not JLW. The JLW events seem to reflect our lives. Holidays are filled with shopping and holiday parties, so it should be no surprise that the JLW calendar is filled with holiday parties and opportunities to shop.

This was my first ACC. Junior Leagues everywhere are filled with acronyms - I'm getting JLW's down. For those that haven't, ACC is A Capital Collection of Holiday Shops and has been running for over 50 years. I'd heard stories of the cool things at ACC and the stories certainly held up. Who doesn't need another beautiful ornament or an interesting host gift like a strange concoction in a bag that turns wine into slushies? After my shopping I helped with the cleanup and carefully took down beautifully crafted trees and watched as ACC was put away in just a few hours.

Since shopping for myself wasn't finished (is shopping for myself ever finished?), I headed to JLW Shops! - Georgetown and happy hour at Clydes in Georgetown. Although it was pouring rain, the event was still fun - and it was a great time to buy and know that part of my purchase gave support to the many service projects of JLW.

My JLW experience wouldn't be complete without something uniquely DC. So I'm also off to see the White House Christmas Tree on the Ellipse with other transfer members.

JLW isn't just about parties and shopping. The holidays are filled with opportunities to serve our communities and send a little holiday joy. Many transfers chose mini-placements, like helping plan holiday parties for the many places JLW volunteers serve. Community and Family Life Services Committee (CFLS) provided gifts for families and the Literacy Impact Task Force is making the little hands at Excel Academy a little warmer by giving mittens to the students. These small gifts that make a big difference of course have been donated by generous JLW members. The generosity of JLW members have also made the holidays a little brighter by helping fulfil wishlists at My Sister's Place and Bright Beginnings.

So there it is. Celebrating the Holidays "JLW Style" with getting and giving opportunities everywhere.