Around Halloween, you may have noticed something changing at your local shopping mall. That's right, in the desire to expand profits, the retail world has glossed over the Thanksgiving holiday, and moved right on to Christmas. You do remember Thanksgiving, right? That holiday, always on a Thursday, often includes a turkey... ring a bell? Well, moving on, Christmas IS just around the corner. For kids across the globe, Christmas is synonymous with toys. Lots of toys. That's something we all should be able to understand.
Christmas has always been a big deal in my house. Before the crack of dawn I'd be up, waking up everyone in the house. I'd run downstairs and in a matter of minutes there'd be wrapping paper strewn across the living room. I have so many memories of Christmas mornings spent downstairs with my new toys. The Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Jabba the Hutt, the AT-AT, tons of Transformers, G.I. Joe, He-Man, the list could go on and on. In fact, looking back at past Christmas mornings, I can't think of a single time that I've been disappointed. I've been incredibly fortunate in that regard.
Sadly, not everyone can be as fortunate. Millions of kids will wake up on Christmas morning and have nothing to rush down to. No reason to wake their brothers and sisters hours before they'd like to get up. Underneath the tree, there will be patches of floor where brightly wrapped gifts should be sitting. I'll be honest, I can't even begin to imagine what it would feel like to come down Christmas morning and not see anything under the tree. I can't.
And that's what this column is all about. Giving a kid Christmas memories. In 1947, Major Bill Hendricks founded the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program in Los Angeles, California. In the first year of the program, 5000 toys were collected and distributed. Fifty two years later, in 1999, Marines and volunteers in 342 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa collected and distributed over 13.7 million toys to 5.9 million needy children.
I realize that every holiday season we all get pulled in a thousand different directions. There's the tree, the cards, the shopping, everything that needs your attention. It feels like every minute of every day is filled with some kind task. All I'm asking is that, in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, you don't forget about those who aren't as fortunate. Next time you're at Toys'R'Us or Kay-Bee, pick something up and put it in the bin outside the store. What you're doing there is giving someone a holiday memory. You're letting them know that someone cares. That someone wanted them to have a Christmas. In a way, this is your chance to be Santa Claus, your chance to make a difference for a child. Isn't that what the holidays are really about?
For more information on Toys for Tots, visit www.toysfortots.org.
