We’ve made it through another hectic holiday season — almost!
We still have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day before the holiday season ends. New Year’s is right around the corner, but outside of parties, football, and intrepid swimmers who choose to take a polar plunge, it’s a day of rest and recovery.
However, the 58th Item Santa drive has officially ended as of Christmas Eve.
It was heartening to look at Saturday’s Item and see more than a quarter of the page devoted to pledges for Item Santa. If that doesn’t define the spirit of the holiday season, then nothing does.
For that, we would like to give a heartfelt “thank you” to all our readers who set aside money for our fund. The donation amount is immaterial; what matters more is the size of your heart.
You may look at some of the other pledges and conclude that your contribution is insignificant. But you’d be wrong if you did. We don’t ask that you donate a specific amount of money. We don’t categorize donations by name, like the “high-rollers club” or the “also-donated club,” the way some organizations do. It does not concern us if your donation is smaller or larger than someone else’s. We’re just extremely grateful for anything you can spare.
We realize that many of our contributors work hard for their money. They see themselves as fortunate that they’re able to provide a memorable Christmas for their families. Still, they also understand that they’re not all that far away from being in the same situation as many of those who request help from Item Santa.
All it takes is a reduction in pay, a missed paycheck because of illness, an unexpected bill, a broken hot-water heater, or a burst pipe that requires several hundred dollars worth of plumbing. The next thing they know, the math gets heartbreaking. Hard choices have to be made.
As we all know, there is no pre-set degree when it comes to suffering. You can work at a steady job, follow all the rules and still come up short at Christmas. That’s when you watch all those commercials that pitch high-end expensive toys and gadgets that even the most diligent of us would have trouble affording.
If you wrote out a check, paid online, or came by the office to donate, then you recognize this reality and we salute you.
So far this season, as of Saturday, Dec. 21, we have taken in $61,761. We certainly hope that figure increases — and we also hope it goes up even more when all pledges and donations are counted in the days and weeks after Christmas.
The Item will continue to print donation lists until there is nothing left to print. If you contributed to our cause, you deserve to be publicly acknowledged for it.
We’d like to add that the season may be over, but there’s always time to contribute to the Item Santa fund.
To donate, mail your donation to The Item Salvation Army Santa, PO Box 5, Lynn, MA 01903.
You can also donate online and have your contributions acknowledged by going to salvationarmyma.org/itemsanta.
You can pass along a brief message if you desire.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. And again, thank you!
