Won't you be a Santa too

Christmas shopping. I'm done. I'm wrapped. Woo Hoo!

This year I tried something different.

As you can see I wrapped everything in the same paper and I like it. I wasn't sure if I would. I usually wrap in all different kinds of paper to the extent that I will buy certain paper to wrap certain people's gifts in. I had multiple rolls of Christmas paper that would last over the years.

My school does a monetary collection at school. Students are asked to participate by doing an extra chore at home to earn some money or donating their ice cream money. A food drive is also held. Meanwhile teachers are asked to submit any student family that may need extra help at the holiday. At the end of the week the families are divided up and a group of teachers shop. I've done this for the past nine years. This year $1,004 was raised, enough for each student to have 60. spent on them as well as 35. for each sibling they had that didn't attend our school. I had two families to shop for and both were students from my kindergarten class which was nice as I know them. I can't wait to see the new clothes on them and hear about the toys they got. Of course they don't know where the stuff came from, as far as they know it was from Santa. The next morning after shopping we bring all the gifts into school where through out the day whenever the staff have a few moments we wrap them. Yesterday the gifts and food baskets were delivered to the families before the children got home from school.

Now going back to my all one wrapping paper story. I donated all my rolls of wrapping paper to school and bought one kind. It feels good to know that I chose the gifts for my kids and then wrapped them myself with my paper.


In these tough economic times if you can donate to an organization that helps families have a nicer Christmas PLEASE think about it. There's the Salvation Army for one and also Toys For Tots. Trust me, you'll make a child happy and feel good yourself too!