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Dec 24, 2023

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." --Winston Churchill

The Giving Tree in Nova Scotia

From the beginning, it was literally something sweet. "I just wanted to put some candy canes up for the little ones," Peggy Feltmate recalls the first year she put up a "giving tree" outside her home. It was cold outside, and she saw children reaching for the candy canes without any gloves or mittens on their hands. "Okay, I'm a grandma, I'm going to add some mittens and things to the tree," Feltmate decided. Then, she noticed adults taking from the tree without wearing hats or gloves in the cold weather. The tree grew from there. Now it boasts socks, toiletries, mittens, hats, and more. "It has to fit into a classic sandwich bag," the grandmother explains, "So that people can take what they want and they don't ever have to ask. ... I've watched [people] come down and they'll pick through the tree ... they only take what they need, and they'll leave something for somebody else." For over a decade, the New Glasgow, Nova Scotia woman has been giving little bundles of holiday gifts to anyone who passes by her home and can use it.