Christmas Prayers and Christmas Poems for Christmas 2009

Posted by on December 20, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I would like to wish all of my readers and visitors a very Merry Christmas! As you celebrate Christmas with your family and close friends, please remember to say a prayer for those who are less fortunate than yourselves, for our military and their families, and those who have lost a loved one in death.

Please keep in mind the less fortunate with your Christmas donations of toys, food and cash donations for the needy. Have you remembered Christmas Tipping Etiquette?

Here are a few Christmas Prayers and Poems I’ve collected from the net for your consideration. Don’t miss out on listening to the video song below of Nicholas Jonas singing “Joy to the World (A Christmas Prayer)”, which is available for download HERE if you love this Christmas song by Nicholas Jonas as much as I do.

By the way, the image above is the Thomas Kinkade Tabletop Christmas Snowman Figurine, from one of my all-time favorite Thomas Kinkade Collections – available on Amazon.com. (I love love love Thomas Kinkade!)
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Recession Christmas – 12 Frugal Christmas Present Gift Ideas

Posted by on September 7, 2009

Frugal ChristmasReady or not, the Christmas season is upon us. Stores are stocking up on anything and everything related to Christmas gift-giving, while many families are trying to find ways to survive Christmas during a recession. Christmas may not seem so “Merry” for those affected by job layoffs, home foreclosures and in some cases, outright poverty. Many families are in need of life’s basic necessities, due in part to the economic downturn, and will be in need of Christmas donations from those more fortunate.

According to a survey by Ing Direct, only about half of American adults (54%) plan to spend $300.00 or more on holiday Christmas gifts this year, a 10% decrease from what Americans spent last year during the 2008 Christmas holiday season. The survey results show that only 11% plan to spend between $1 and $100 in 2009 on Xmas gifts, and 23% plan to spend $100-$299, compared to 21 percent last year.

11% of those surveyed don’t plan to spend any money at all on Christmas toys or gifts in 2009, compared to 7 percent in 2008, a 57 percent increase. 14% of parents are giving children smaller Christmas stockings this year, while others are choosing to not fill Xmas stockings at all, and some will just hang the stockings as a Christmas decoration. Older Americans (55 years old and up) show the most dramatic change, with 61% planning to spend $300 or more dollars on gifts this year, compared to 71% from last year.

41% of Americans say saving more and spending less is a top priority for the remainder of the year and beyond. According to Forbes.com, 67% of Americans say they will continue their frugal ways by saving more money and spending less even after the economy recovers. The recession creates a great opportunity to rethink priorities in life, with less focus on luxuries and frivolous spending, and greater importance being placed on real “needs” vs. “wants”.

If you are being frugal by choice or by sheer necessity, Christmas presents a financial challenge for those who are needing a less expensive, affordable Christmas holiday. Here are twelve inexpensive, frugal Christmas gift ideas that won’t break the bank.
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The One Dollar Give: One Dollar Can Make A Lot of Difference

Posted by on December 4, 2008

The One Dollar Give Have you heard about the One Dollar Give project? Today is December 4th, and the Christmas season is upon us in full force, with shoppers going about their business in search of Christmas gifts for loved ones.

I love Christmastime and it’s my favorite time of year. I’m not immune to getting caught up in the hustle and bustle (commercialism) of the holiday season and you can bet the stores love me for it. The holiday season is also a time of year where I look for a variety of ways to give back by making donations to good causes and charities.

When I published the article about Christmas toy donations for needy children, I had no idea there would be more people in need of donations reading that article vs. the number of people who have read the article with the desire to donate to those less fortunate than themselves. People and charities and hurting and there’s something we can do about it.

Thanks to Mandi from Doodle’s Place and Tara from Deal Seeking Mom, who came up with the One Dollar Give idea, I’ve found another good cause and it’s my hope you will do what you can to help as well.

The One Dollar Give, found at www.onedollargive.com, was launched on December 1st and it’s mission is to shine a bright light on a blogger’s favorite charity each and every day during the month of December. Readers are encouraged to donate just one dollar a day for each featured charity for a total donation of just $31.00.

Just think of all the good that can be accomplished if we each donate just one dollar a day during the month of December to the One Dollar Give project. How much difference can $1.00 make? A huge difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

The economy is bad and charities are in serious need of support, so I’m asking you to join me in supporting the One Dollar Give project by donating a dollar a day to the project to help those in need during the month of December.

If you are unable to help financially and you have a blog, you can still show your support by grabbing the button on the One Dollar Give sidebar and placing it on your own blog, or talk about the project on Twitter along with a link for others to get involved.

Even though it’s already the 4th of December, I’ve pledged the full $31.00 and I hope you will find a way of supporting this great cause as well. Remember, there is greater joy in giving than there is in receiving.

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Donate Christmas Toys For Tots – Christmas Donations for Needy Children

Posted by on September 22, 2008

When you donate Christmas toys to needy children, or abused, sick and neglected children, you provide a glimmer of hope and inspiration for kids in the U.S. and around the world. Holiday donations are desperately needed, such as: donated Christmas toys, clothes, children’s books, stuffed animals and other gifts that provide for children’s basic needs, with a large number of charity organizations gearing up for what is expected to be a greater number of donation requests and applications for Christmas assistance than previous years.

When you consider the large number of evacuees affected by Hurricane Gustav, followed by Hurricane Ike along the U.S. Gulf, along with the nearly 13 million U.S. children and low-income families living below the federal poverty level, the need for help from charity donations, toy drives and Christmas donations for needy children and families is very high.

Not only do toy donations and gifts for Christmas bring a smile to children in need, but generously giving from the heart is an excellent way of teaching children compassion and empathy for others less fortunate then themselves by directly involving children in toy drives and toy donations, but charitable giving helps kids have a better understanding and appreciation for what they already have.

How and Where to Donate:

When choosing the how, what, when and where to donate toys and gifts, get your children involved. Discuss re-gifting and donating outgrown, unwanted, rarely used toys, clothes, games and stuffed animals in excellent condition to charity organizations, hospitals and clinics that need them.

Needy children stuck in hospitals for long periods of time with chronic health conditions would greatly appreciate your donation of art supplies, board games, toys and stuffed animals as Christmas gifts, providing needed entertainment and distraction from sometimes painful tests and treatments.

Donate unwrapped, new or gently used toys, games, clothes, children’s books and stuffed animals to needy children to trustworthy charity organizations, making sure gently used items, toys or board games have all the needed game pieces. Before donating used gift items, ask yourself if you or your child would want to be given such a gift for Christmas, based on the condition of each item.

Angel Tree-The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program provides new clothing or toys for children of needy families, with angel tree’s often found in high-traffic areas such as malls, churches and corporations. Each tree is decorated with numbered paper angel tags with the first name, age and gender of a child who will receive the gift. To sponsor a child from the Angel Tree, simply remove one or more tags from the tree and purchase appropriate gifts for the child or children described on the tags. The organization displaying the Angel Tree is also the collection point or drop-off location for all gifts.

Toys for Tots- The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program helps needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; playing an active role in collecting and delivering a shiny new toy at Christmas. Local toy collection campaigns begin in October and last until December 22, with toy deliveries normally taking place on December 23 and 24. Community members drop new, unwrapped toys at toys for tots locations, which are collection boxes positioned in local businesses. These toys are stored in warehouses, sorted by age and gender, and then delivered to needy children at Christmastime.

Operation Christmas Child- Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to needy children around the world through shoe boxes or small plastic containers filled with unwrapped toys, school supplies, candy and other gifts, then shipped to needy children overseas with a personal note included. Suggested gift ideas include toys like small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, and toys that light up and/or make noise. Christmas gifts of pencils, pens, crayons, markers, coloring books and other art supplies are encouraged, as are gifts of toothbrushes, toothpaste, bar soap, and other personal care, hygiene items.

Make a Wish Foundation- You can make this holiday season special for children dealing with life-threatening medical conditions and illnesses by your generous donations to the Make a Wish Foundation of America Adopt-A-Wish program, thus helping a child’s dream come true. Make a Wish’s unique holiday donation options help grant the wishes of children, creating special memories for the wish child and family. Those who adopt a wish by making a donation are provided a unique and special story of how your donation bought joy to a wish child.

My Two Front Teeth- My Two Front Teeth is a non-profit, charity organization that provides donated toys to underprivileged children in daycare, preschools and community agencies. You can donate toys online; just sign up to receive an email notification prior to the holiday season, choose a child to sponsor and purchase and donate toys to children in need via My Two Front Teeth. My Two Front Teeth offers a personalized, online gift-giving experience to aid underprivileged children. Children are selected through community organizations and allowed to individually pick their one holiday wish.

The Christmas holiday season is fast approaching, so start an annual tradition of charitable giving, donating toys and other items to needy children and families. Setting the right example and role-modeling heartfelt giving, volunteering to help serve holiday meals in shelters or soup kitchens for the homeless, children are less likely to grow up with a serious case of entitlement and will have better appreciation and gratitude for what parents have done for them throughout the years.

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