The Magic of Giving

Santa Claus at MyBlogLog authors Santa-Mail, Santa’s Elf Club, Santa’s Wish Tree, Every Day should be Christmas, Santa’s Wish List as well as co-authors Santa’s Community Blog.

Tomorrow Sometimes Never Comes

Ho! Ho! Ho! Everyone

When I first started this blog there were 140 days to Christmas. There are now 117 and the counter will not stop turning the days over like a metronome ticking along to the musical beat.

We here at the North Pole are all working in a frenzy because we know how quickly the last few days, weeks and months dissolve into the mists of time. Every year we say to ourselves.. where did that year go?

As we now reach September, in the blink of an eye it will be November and Christmas will be staring us in the face.

As it gets closer and closer to Christmas day we start saying to ourselves that we must go and start buying those gifts for loved ones. We must go and plan the festive season. We must start doing this... we must start doing that and so on. Before we know it we are caught up in the massive hustle and bustle of the crowds surging to do that last minute shop on Christmas Eve because we never quite got around to it. Does this sound familiar?

My point is... since I started on my quest to give some needy children a Christmas that will lift their spirits and possibly put a huge plaster on their battered and bruised self esteem and egos, 3 weeks have passed. 23 days that have slipped by so silently and sneakily that no one even noticed them going. There are just over 16 weeks to go till the big day. Will we notice them going past too or will we suddenly gasp and say... where did that time go?

I'll do it tomorrow is always said with the very best of intentions..... but sometimes tomorrow never comes.

As always,

Santa ô¿ô

Santa Recommends:
A Nice Place in the Sun, A Week In The Life of A Redhead, All Free Stuff Blog, Bobbarama, Bobbarama Humor Carnival, Bobbarama StumbleUpon, Book Project, Christmas Wish List, Christy’s Coffee Break, Climate of our Future, Dog Cents, Emila’s Illustrated Blog, Everyday Should Be Christmas, Feel Happy, First Time Dad, FuelMyBlog, Hearts a Fire, Homeless Family’s Blog, Homeless In Jax, Home with Heather, Laketrees, Laketrees1, Life with Heathens, Lilyruth’s This and That Cottage, Lynda’s Loft, Mariuca, Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery, My Life is Murphy’s Law, Polliwog’s Pond, Polliwog’s StumbleUpon, Purplefrogcat, Revellian, Santa’s Community, Santa Elf’s Club, Santa Mail, Santa Wish Tree, The Blog Fairy, The Insane Writer, This is a Miracle, Writer’s Reviews, Twist and Skewer, Your Wisdom of Total Happiness, Zubli Zainordin.

Santa Claus at MyBlogLog authors Santa-Mail, Santa’s Elf Club, Santa’s Wish Tree, Every Day should be Christmas, Santa’s Wish List as well as co-authors Santa’s Community Blog.

If you would like to be added to this list please let me know. Santa ô¿ô

Santa's Secret Wish

Santa met a young boy with light in his eyes
He looked deep into Santa's, and to Santa's surprise
Said as he sat on Santa's broad knee,
"I want your secret. Please tell it to me."

He leaned up and whispered in Santa's good ear
"How do you do it year after year?"
"I want to know how, as you travel about,
Giving gifts here and there, you never run out.

How is it Dear Santa, that in your sack full of toys...
You always have plenty for the world's girls and boys?
It stays so full, never empties, as you make your way
From rooftop to rooftop, to homes large and small,
From nation to nation, reaching them all?"

And Santa smiled kindly and said to the boy,
"Don't ask me hard questions. Do You want a toy?
"But the child shook his head, and Santa could see
That he needed the answer. "Now listen to me,"

He told that small boy with the light in his eyes,
"My secret will make you sadder and wise.

"The truth is my sack is magic inside
It holds millions of toys for my Christmas Eve ride.
But although I do visit each girl and each boy
I don't always leave them a gaily wrapped toy

Some homes are hungry, some homes are sad,
Some homes are desperate, some homes are bad.
Some homes are broken, and the children there grieve.
Those homes I visit, but what should I leave?"

My sleigh is filled with the happiest stuff,
But for homes where despair lives toys aren't enough.
So I tiptoe in, kiss each girl and boy,
And I pray with them that they'll be given the joy

Of the spirit of Christmas, the spirit that lives
In the heart of the dear child who gets not, but gives.
"If only God hears me and answers my prayer,
When I visit next year, what I will find there
Are homes filled with peace, and with giving, and love
And boys and girls gifted with light from above.

It's a very hard task, my smart little brother,
to give toys to some, and to give prayers to others.
But the prayers are the best gifts, the best gifts indeed,
For God has a way of meeting each need.

"That's part of the answer. The rest, my dear youth,
is that my sack is magic. And that is the truth.
In my sack I carry on Christmas Eve Day
More love than a Santa could e'er give away.

The sack never empties of love, or of joys
Cause inside it are prayers, and hope. Not just toys
The more that I give, the fuller it seems,
Because giving is my way of fulfilling all dreams.

"And do you know something? You've got a sack, too.
It's as magic as mine, and it's inside of you.
It never gets empty, it's full from the start.
It's the center of lights, and love. It's your heart

And if on this Christmas you want to help me,
Don't be so concerned with the gifts 'neath your tree.
Open that sack called your heart and share
Your joy, your friendship, your wealth, your care."

The light in the small boy's eyes was glowing.
"Thanks for your secret. I've got to be going."
"Wait, little boy," Said Santa, "don't go.
Will you share? Will you help? Will you use what you know?"

And just for a moment the small boy stood still,
Touched his heart with his small hand and whispered, "I will."

As always,

Santa ô¿ô

Santa Recommends:
A Week In The Life of A Redhead, All Free Stuff Blog, Bobbarama, Bobbarama Humor Carnival, Bobbarama StumbleUpon, Book Project, Christmas Wish List, Christy’s Coffee Break, Climate of our Future, Dog Cents, Emila’s Illustrated Blog, Everyday Should Be Christmas, Feel Happy, First Time Dad, FuelMyBlog, Homeless Family’s Blog, Homeless In Jax, Home with Heather, Laketrees, Laketrees1, Life with Heathens, Lynda’s Loft, Mariuca, Mariuca’s Perfume Gallery, My Life is Murphy’s Law, Polliwog’s Pond, Polliwog’s StumbleUpon, Purplefrogcat, Revellian, Santa’s Community, Santa Elf’s Club, Santa Mail, Santa Wish Tree, This is a Miracle, Writer’s Reviews, Your Wisdom of Total Happiness, Zubli Zainordin.

If you would like to be added to this list please let me know. Santa ô¿ô

The Children that will never be:

~They look so young, so innocent as they lie sleeping
Held so tightly together, with their faces finally erased of worry
Almost snug looking, half buried in rags on their concrete bed
But this peacefulness will end all too soon
For when sleep wears from their eyes it will reveal pain and despair
Their loneliness only quenched by the embrace they find in each other~

The counter is ticking!!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Everyone.

Well... as I sat here this morning eating my cookies and sipping my warm milk it suddenly occurred to me that Santa is supposed to lead by example. So, that is what I have done today. I put my money where my mouth is!

In the right column at the bottom you can watch the tally grow.

At the end of the day I need to be able to lay my head down and know that I have made a difference. The children need us.

As always,

Santa

How do you eat an Elephant?

Ho! Ho! Ho! Everyone.

Today's question is.... How do you eat an elephant? I would doubt very much that very many people have ever done this if at all anyone. However the answer is.... One bite at a time!!

I could also ask.. how do you save 4000 children from hunger and thirst and chronic poverty? The answer again is... One child at a time!!

Christmas is a time of giving but why should this attitude be restricted to just a short time of the year? As Christmas approaches we should remind ourselves of the joyful look in a child's face as they experience the magic of Christmas. We need to burn that image in our brain and feel the joy and happiness and the excitement felt from the joy of giving and the anticipation of receiving.

The laws of nature dictate that for everything that happens there is an equivalent opposite. So... whilst we focus on the joys and happiness of giving we should also focus on the plight of despair and hunger and fear that permeates through the poor and destitute children of the world. We need to imagine their scrawny fingers reaching out to clutch a dry and crumbling piece of bread. We need to focus on the desperation for a plentiful supply of clean water whilst they suck any moisture from even the most putrid cesspool that they have available. We need to look in their eyes and see the pain and desperation that is laced with fear.

If we do that then maybe we can really see the true meaning of Christmas. To give is to receive!! The more we give the more abundant our reward.

I have decided that perhaps the target that I had posted was something that seemed insurmountable. So for that reason I would like us all to dig into our hearts to save just one child. When one is given a Christmas that perhaps may change their lives we will then try to make it two and so on.

The target is $20 a child. That will give them a Christmas gift and a decent meal and perhaps a glimmer of hope for the future. It isn't much but it's a start.

As each target is met for a child I will post a gift box in the column. Let's see how many we can get. Surely this isn't asking a lot. It is after all a living breathing child that we can help. One at a time!! Who will be first? Action is needed.... Now!!

As always, Santa

http://santaselfclub.blogspot.com/

PS You may place the donation logo on your site for every child you help.

The days are passing.

Ho! Ho! Ho! Everyone.

It's amazing how quickly the days steal by without us really noticing. As day turns to night and night to day and as the weeks tick by, time appears to pass slowly but before we know it Time is Up!!

We now have only 134 days to go to Christmas. How quickly the clock ticks by like a thief in the night stealing the days so quickly without us really even noticing.

Is the spirit of Christmas only reserved for the festive season? Do we only give when giving is expected? It's a question that each of us can only answer in our own hearts.

What will our answer be?

As always,

Santa

Is Santa Kidding Himself?

Ho! Ho! Ho! Everyone,

Am I kidding myself that I can make a difference? Possibly. However I will never admit that to myself. Santa is all about giving.

Who are America's Poor Children?
From the National Center for Children in Poverty

Nearly 13 million American children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level, which is $20,000 a year for a family of four. The number of children living in poverty increased by more than 11 percent between 2000 and 2005. There are 1.3 million more children living in poverty today than in 2000, despite indications of economic recovery and growth.

Research consistently shows that, on average, families need an income of about twice the federal poverty level to make ends meet. Children living in families with incomes below this level—for 2006, $40,000 for a family of four—are referred to as low income. Thirty-nine percent of the nation’s children—more than 28 million in 2005—live in low-income families. In addition, eligibility for many public benefits is based on the official poverty measure.

How many children in America are officially poor?

Rates of official child poverty vary tremendously across the states.* Nationwide, 18% of children live in families that are officially considered poor (13 million children).

What are some of the characteristics of officially poor children in America?

Poverty is especially prevalent among black, Latino, and American Indian children. 35% of black children live in poor families. In the 10 most populated states, rates of child poverty among black children range from 20% in New Jersey to 43% in Ohio. 28% of Latino children live in poor families. In the 10 most populated states, rates of child poverty among Latino children range from 20% in New Jersey, Florida, and Illinois to 35% in Texas.* 29% of American Indian and 11% of Asian children live in poor families (comparable state comparisons are not possible due to small sample sizes).* 10% of white children live in poor families. In the 10 most populated states, rates of child poverty among white children range from 4% in New Jersey to 12% in Georgia.Having immigrant parents increases a child’s chances of being poor.* 26% of children of immigrants are poor; 16% of children of native-born parents are poor. (Children living with one immigrant parent and one native-born parent are not included.)* In the six states with the largest populations of immigrants—California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Texas—the poverty rate among children of immigrant parents ranges from 14% to 40%.* In all six states, children living with immigrant parents are more likely to be poor than children of native-born parents. Official poverty rates are highest for young children.* 20% of children under age 6—1 in 5—live in poor families; 16% of children age 6 or older live in poor families.* In half the states, more than 20% of children under age 6 are growing up in poverty, whereas only 13 states have a child poverty rate (that is, for children up to age 18) that is as high.

These figures are reproduced (with permission) and are only used to highlight the fact that even in an affluent society the poor live among us. It is not intention to belittle any authorities in any way or to pass judgement. The poor are among us and that is a fact no matter what country we live in. It is a worldwide epidemic that must be stopped.

How can we ignore the plight of these children? I know I can't.

As always,

Santa

The World is Full of Needy Children

Ho! Ho! Ho! Everybody. Please allow Santa to talk to you seriously for one minute.

There is something important that needs to be said.

Today there are 140 days to go until Christmas Day arrives once again. Every year Santa distresses about the thousands of Children that he cannot reach. The millions of hungry mouths begging for a scrap of anything that might give them some nourishment. Yearning eyes and distended bellies that cry out in hunger and pain let alone even thinking for one second about what Santa may bring them for Christmas this year.

In cities all around the world, children in affluent societies live on streets or at best in impoverished homes where a succulent Christmas dinner may consist of bread and water or something just as nourishing.

Do we see anything wrong with this picture?

We can't change the world in 5 minutes but each of us collectively can make a difference. We can't save every child but we can save some. We can't turn every yearning eye to one of joy. We can't ensure that every child gets something from Santa no matter how small but we can change lives. We can't feed the millions but we can sustain a few.

What is Santa trying to say?

Quite simply, we can make a difference. we don't have to change the world when we can change our own back yard and that's what I intend to do. Obviously I need your help.

This year Santa wants to give hope to 4000 children. That's 4000 bellies that we can feed. 4000 smiles that will light up rooms everywhere. 8000 eyes that will shine. We can make a difference..... together.

Santa is asking for your donations no matter how small or how large. We have 140 days to make it happen. More than enough time.

Santa doesn't often ask for help but I can't do it alone. Please help!

As always,

Santa