December is supposed to be a festive time of year. The holiday lights are twinkling on houses, the malls are packed with shoppers and there?s plenty of Christmas music on the radio.Yet in a time that encourages happiness, there are some people who find it harder to be happy. They are our nation?s poor, for whom fears of job loss and dwindling finances hit painfully and poignantly during the holiday season. For financially strapped adults who care for children – whether as parents or as family members in general – the pain is doubled. When a child sits on Santa?s lap and asks for a present, it must feel devastating for the parent standing nearby who can?t pay for it.It is in this spirit that the Item Santa was created, to help the needy in the Greater Lynn area by providing children with a gift on Christmas. The needy include a grandmother who is caring for her three grandchildren – two girls and a boy. She says that while she loves them very much, she cannot give them all a gift.The Salvation Army Item Santa can help.The Item Santa speaks to that charitable spirit in all of us ? the spirit that compels us to give a dollar to the Salvation Army man whom we see in the street ? the spirit that urges us to donate to the American Red Cross after a natural disaster ? the spirit that tells us not to overlook the needy children on the North Shore and across the nation whose hearts would be lifted by a gift on Christmas.So as we take in the holiday season – whether it be through attending a performance of Handel?s “Messiah,” watching the Charlie Brown special once again on TV, or tuning in to festive songs on the radio – remember the importance of family during this time, and let us not forget our potential to make this a special time for needy families on the North Shore.To make a donation print out this coupon or use the coupon on Page A6 of today?s Item and mail your check, along with a message you?d like to see listed with your donation, to The Item Salvation Army Santa, P.O. Box 951, Lynn, MA 01903.Please note that the application period for assistance this season closed Nov. 27. The Daily Item does not process applications. All questions should be directed to the Salvation Army Lynn office at 1 Franklin St. Call the Salvation Army at 781-598-0673.