We Start Thinking About Christmas Before Thanksgiving...
I didn't know if I'd write a post today, I couldn't think of what I wanted to write about. But I've been sitting here for t
he last three hours creating an Excel spreadsheet that will soon generate labels to stick to tags to hang on Christmas Trees in our area so people who want to donate can buy gifts for foster kids. And all this made me think of all the posts I've read lately that complain about Christmas showing up in stores and such before Halloween is over, and what happened to Thanksgiving. I can't vouch for the stores other than to say they are just trying to make as much money as they can during the holiday season. That doesn't mean YOU have to forget about Thanksgiving.
But for us, we have to start our project long before Halloween even. If you don't secure locations for your trees, some bigger organization will take it first. We have to start hounding Health and Welfare for contact information to be able to talk to all our foster parents and find out what our kiddos are needing and wanting for Christmas. The phone calls take up a lot of time, trying to get a hold of everyone, and the conversations you have so you can represent each child pretty accurately on the trees. We have to line up some sort of warehouse or large empty building so we can store the gifts as they come in and get them sorted and prepared for distribution. Then there's the actually setting up of the trees with the tags, and collecting the gifts as they come in. We have to sort them. Then we have to make contact again to let the foster parents know when and where to pick up the gifts. Of course, there's the last minute needs because kids are coming into care every day, up to and through Christmas (if you've read my posts, you'll know we even get them very early on Christmas morning.) We try to obtain extra gifts to have on hand for these kids. It's quite a process, and it's rewarding to see foster kids having wishes fulfilled. In some ways, I'm grateful the stores are getting things going somewhat early so people are more in the spirit for our cause.
If you'd like to donate to the Giving Tree cause, you can make a donation here and leave a note that that is what it's for, and we'll be sure to get that donation to the kids on the trees. Because, while we usually have no problem getting gifts for little ones, people are not as apt to buy for the teens in care, so we always count on cash donations to buy for the teens.
I didn't know if I'd write a post today, I couldn't think of what I wanted to write about. But I've been sitting here for t
he last three hours creating an Excel spreadsheet that will soon generate labels to stick to tags to hang on Christmas Trees in our area so people who want to donate can buy gifts for foster kids. And all this made me think of all the posts I've read lately that complain about Christmas showing up in stores and such before Halloween is over, and what happened to Thanksgiving. I can't vouch for the stores other than to say they are just trying to make as much money as they can during the holiday season. That doesn't mean YOU have to forget about Thanksgiving.But for us, we have to start our project long before Halloween even. If you don't secure locations for your trees, some bigger organization will take it first. We have to start hounding Health and Welfare for contact information to be able to talk to all our foster parents and find out what our kiddos are needing and wanting for Christmas. The phone calls take up a lot of time, trying to get a hold of everyone, and the conversations you have so you can represent each child pretty accurately on the trees. We have to line up some sort of warehouse or large empty building so we can store the gifts as they come in and get them sorted and prepared for distribution. Then there's the actually setting up of the trees with the tags, and collecting the gifts as they come in. We have to sort them. Then we have to make contact again to let the foster parents know when and where to pick up the gifts. Of course, there's the last minute needs because kids are coming into care every day, up to and through Christmas (if you've read my posts, you'll know we even get them very early on Christmas morning.) We try to obtain extra gifts to have on hand for these kids. It's quite a process, and it's rewarding to see foster kids having wishes fulfilled. In some ways, I'm grateful the stores are getting things going somewhat early so people are more in the spirit for our cause.
If you'd like to donate to the Giving Tree cause, you can make a donation here and leave a note that that is what it's for, and we'll be sure to get that donation to the kids on the trees. Because, while we usually have no problem getting gifts for little ones, people are not as apt to buy for the teens in care, so we always count on cash donations to buy for the teens.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Thank you for reading.
Tune in again to read tales about the adventures from the Angel Retreat.
Donations to fund the needs and activities for the angels who live with us are always welcome.
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