I love Christmas! In fact, I'm nearly as excited about Santa's arrival as my grandchildren are - huge happy smile!

But I also know that the holiday season can be a horrible time for so many people, sadly. And while 'charities' can be, and often are, great things, in all honesty the last few years I've stopped donated more than a token amount to a few favourite organizations. (I know, I know - it sounds terrible!).

But while the little children are always ensured of receiving at least one gift in our area, it's the elderly and the teenagers on the streets that Santa never seems to remember to visit.

And I'd love to know what our members do during this holiday season as I'm always open to great ideas -

I'm so lucky to have friends that are nearly as nuts about the holiday as I am, so xmas stockings that go on sale right after the past Christmas are bought and through the year we just buy things like warm socks, gloves and scarves, etc when they go on sale. Then small boxes of chocolates and $5 gift certificates for McDonald's restaurants (and nope, I don't want to hear their food is full of unhealthy fats - huge laugh!). And then whatever else that simply strikes our fancy while we're out shopping, such as small artists pads and sets of drawing pencils, small blank books/diaries, etc.

And we have such fun getting together one evening to wrap all the gifts ... and there is no organization whatsoever when coming to handing them out. Nope, we just hand out wrapped wee gifts and/or stockings starting the week before Christmas to whomever we feel like it on the streets. Great fun - and whether true or not, I like to tell myself that receiving a wrapped wee present with a pretty bow on it doesn't smack as much of charity to the recipient.

Anyway, as I said, I'd love to hear other people's ideas. Not just about helping strangers but about the often elderly and lonely or people just like us that simply don't have, for various reasons, much of a reason to have a great holiday season.

Well done Mara, I wholeheartedly agree with what you say.

It is also quite sad that it is only at such times as Christmas that most of us think of these poor unfortunates. But it is undoubtedly the time to get the message home that there are many folks without a roof upon their head and many folk cold and hungry. The charities involved need our support.

I shall not forget to donate now, thank you.

Christmas 2003 was bittersweet for me. I spent the day with my family, which includes my son.
A few days later, we took him to Atlanta to the airport and watched as he boarded a plane for Bogota, Colombia. The hardest thing I've ever had to do as a parent was let my son go.
I've not seen him since that day in the airport. Since then, there have been 3 holiday seasons without him here. He's gotten married, and in January of this year his first child (my first grandchild) was born.
This year Christmas will be very special. My son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter will be here.
I'm looking forward meeting both of the "girls". Most of all, I just want to give my son a big hug.

That's good. It seems a long time that, but you must be so looking forward to meeting the little one. When my wife gave birth to our daughter in 2004, it was seven months before her parents, in Japan, got to see their Granddaughter.....it was emotional to say the least. Hope your Christmas is something you will cherish forever.

I just realized what I forgot to say above. In addition to my son and his family I'll have my daughter and her baby (born 10/17/07) here for Christmas. Her husband is in the Navy, and was deployed in July. Daughter didn't want to stay in Virginia and give birth to their first child by herself. She wanted to be with me and other family members. Been a long time since I've been in the same house with a baby-and I've loved every minute of it. My son-in-law returns from deployment a few days before Christmas. Daughter and baby are flying to Va. for homecoming, and will be back here for Christmas. Son-in-law works Christmas day, and won't have leave until after New Years. So in January we'll have another Christmas when he comes down on leave. I just wish he had leave at the same time my son is here.