The Perfect Gift for your Local Firefighters

This post is written in partnership with Cost Plus World Market. All stories and opinions are 100% my own.

Nearly 2.5 years ago, in the early morning hours, some neighborhood kids were up to no good and started a fire in their backyard. It quickly grew into something huge when it caught onto the insulation in the shed in their backyard. It then began to crawl its way over into our car lot (our business) and eat up everything in its path.

I am forever grateful for the good samaritan driving by in those wee hours who had the good grace to call 9-1-1. Engine 1 was dispatched and first to arrive to begin taming the flames. Had Engine 1 not arrived when they did, had they not cut the bolts on our back fence gate to gain entry, had they not started the process, my husband and I would have lost everything. The fire tried to enter our back shop. If it had been blazing just a few minutes longer, it would have latched on to some of the most flame igniting chemicals and caused major catestrophe in the form of explosions. The point of entry is where our parts cleaner tank was sitting, it’s where our various greases, oils, fluids were sitting, it’s where our butane torches were sitting. My husband’s 69 Camaro was sitting on the lift closest to where the fire started to enter. Just major, major loss would have occurred had Engine 1 not arrived with they did.

I will be forever grateful to them and their service on this day. I will be forever grateful to them for how hard they work, day in and day out. They saved us that day. Not physically but mentally and emotionally. Thankfully no one was hurt in the fire. The Fire Marshall did, unfortunately, fall into an oil pit in the neighbors backyard when he was trying to assess their damage (it was an illegal oil pit in the ground, by the way).

As a thank you to Engine 1, I’ve partnered up with Cost Plus World Market to help Spread the Joy this holiday season. I put together a gift basket of treats that is truly fire fighter worthy. From a vintage coffee grinder to a hot sauce challenge. I went with all the things I knew that firefighters love…food. Scroll down below to shop this post so that you can build your perfect gift for your local firefighters.

When I delivered the gift baskets and extra goodies from Cost Plus World Market to Engine 1, they were blown away with gratitude, saying things like “we are used to cookies and cake from people, but this is the best gift we’ve ever received”. I was super emotional in the exchange, sharing my thanks (which I can’t ever imagine I will be able to thank them enough) and gratitude for being the first responders and the people responsible for saving everything that night. Sharing my thanks and gratitude to the good samaritan who called 9-1-1 in the first place (bless your soul whomever you are). I will never forget what they did that night, in the early morning hours. They are heroes through and through. And they let me wear a jacket and hat in our group photo.

SHOP THIS POST TO MAKE THE PERFECT GIFT FOR YOUR LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS

Share the Joy Sweepstakes!!

Cost Plus World Market wants to send you home for the holidays.

Here’s how to enter:
1. Share a photo or video of a favorite holiday memory on Instagram or Twitter, or Upload at http://wyng.com/commerce/gallery/25376 and explain why you’d like to go home for the holidays.
2. You can enter yourself or nominate someone else to win a trip home for the holidays.
3. Use #WorldMarketJoy and #Contest in the caption if you’re submitting on Instagram or Twitter.
4. Cost Plus World Market will choose 4 total winners – one per week starting November 1st through November 30th. If your entry is selected, you’ll be on your merry way!

(Where I Party)