A very special guest for Christmas dinner this year...

Gerard, Sal , and Gia

Gerard and me

A few months back at Walmart, Gia and I noticed this elderly man with his WWII Navy Veteran hat on. He is a volunteer greeter. I had to stop and speak with him and found out he was about 18 when he was on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day in the 3rd wave of boats to hit the beach. He wears that black glove on his hand because his hand was so badly frost-bitten in the war and he has, one on each knee, 9 inch scars from when his knees were shot at.  This hero's name is Gerard and he is 86 years old.. Gia and I would make it a point to always say hello when we went to Walmart and we knew Gerard was going to be there. He loves Gia!  His story is amazing and he has been awarded the bronze star! I have been telling Sal all of this and was dying to get them to meet! Gerard told me he lost his wife 4 years ago on Christmas and it was harder than anything he went through or saw in the war.

Last week, Gia and I saw Gerard, talked for awhile and then I asked him if he had plans for Christmas and invited him to our house and explained what an absolute honor it would be to have him at our table. He told me he was going to be alone and he sits with his wife's picture and asks her, "Why she left him here without her." That was it for me. I just had to get him to come over. I told him we would be back with Sal on Sunday so they can meet finally.  This past Sunday, Sal, Gia, and I went to Walmart to see Gerard and there he was in his spot and his face lit up when he saw me first. Needless to say.. Sal was speechless to hear his story from him and we asked him for Christmas again. He accepted and plans are on to pick up Gerard on Christmas Day. I asked him if he minded  having a traditional Italian Christmas with the food etc. and he said he has been to Italy loves the food and of course not!

To us, this is what Christmas is all about... there was no way we were going to have him spend Christmas alone. Gerard is a hero, a real hero and deserves the respect and honor for what he did for all fighting in WWII for all of us to live the way we do now. It again, is a very high honor for us to break bread and share Christmas dinner with Gerard, our special friend, who will most definitely be at the head of our table!