Even though times are tough, please remember Item Santa

Over the last week or so city and town officials from around the North Shore have been sharing their favorite Christmas memories for a story the Item will be running next month.They’re fabulous stories of time spent with family, crazy Christmas decorations and special gifts that are still being cherished decades later.It is hard for some of us to imagine, but not all Christmas memories are warm and fuzzy, not all set the heart aglow.For some, Christmas is a time of stress and strain. It’s a time of panic and sorrow because not everyone has the wherewithal or the means to make happy, sweet or even simple memories.It is hard not to hear the news of the crashing economy, high heating costs and the seemingly ever-increasing cost for food. For many, the holidays are just another way to fail.But they don’t have to be.We know there are loyal readers out there who won’t bother to read the Item Santa column this year because they’re feeling the pinch. Maybe they don’t want to be confronted with a story worse than their own or made to feel guilty so early in the season.Still, the facts speak for themselves. Twenty percent of Lynners were living below the poverty level in 2007. The state average is only 9.9 percent. Of that 20 percent, 68 percent are single parent families headed by women and 22 percent are children. Here’s another statistic, unemployment is up to 5.7 percent.Sometimes, it’s hard sometimes to remember or acknowledge that the only excess some families indulge in is hardship. The Item Santa asking you to remember.Remember a time you needed a hand up or out. Remember the face of your child, niece, nephew or sibling opening presents Christmas morning.One city official in Peabody shared his Christmas memory, which was about a sacrifice one of his family members made to assure the rest of the family would have a special day.That’s what the holidays should be about.If you want the best present ever, donate to Item Santa. Give a family the gift of having something to open Christmas morning. Share your joy for the season with someone who is running short in the “things to be joyous about” department.Your donation, large or small is generous, especially in these hard times. Realistically, it won’t go far in solving the economic crisis facing this area, but it will help one or maybe a dozen families not feel so excluded or overwhelmed by the situation for at least one special day. And anyone who’s ever needed to be distracted from a bad situation knows that is truly a gift.Click here to download a coupon to make a donation to Item Santa.Mail it, along with your check, to The Item Salvation Army Santa, P.O. Box 951, Lynn, MA 01903.For more information, call the Salvation Army at 781-598-0673.