Some Real Christmas Spirit
Read this entry from Mia over at Knit and Play with Fire to see some real Christmas Spirit.
If you have kids at home and they have quite a few stuffed animals and toys that they do not play with, I am going to suggest that the kids themselves go through their toys and set some of them aside. Talk to your kids and tell them what happens to kids toys after a house fire and see if they would like to donate them to a family in your area who has had a fire in their house. This is also a good time to go through the kids clothing and pull out what they do not wear or have outgrown. The easiest way to donate the clothing is to contact your local Red Cross chapter and tell them that you have kids clothing and toys that you would like to donate to families that have been displaced by a house fire. They will work with you. The Red Cross provides the families a place to stay and some money to replace to some of what is lost. But kids do not always understand the money and want toys. This is just a suggestion but it does make a difference to the kids.And just so you know, it is my niece who came up with this idea. She is 9 years old and one of the things on her Christmas list is $100 to use to buy warm clothes for kids whose parents can not afford to buy them warm clothes. This idea is entirely her own. And when I questioned her that she would not be upset if I bought warm clothes and donated them to a family that needed them and that would be her present. Her answer was that was what she wanted for Christmas. (And I did make her a present.) My SIL has been cleaning out the toys that are not played with and we have been getting the toys to families that need them at my niece's urging.

