This Years Charity of Choice

Well as we start another week I am wondering where the time goes, another birthday is upon me and I am struggling with the idea of turning 40. Mrs. Santa has been fantastic in putting up with my Birthday negativity and she is 100% right when she says you are only as old as you feel. I guess I am around 132 some days.

With 98 days remaining until Christmas I am starting to get geared up for the reveal of my house and the Cul-De-Sac. 8ft snowmen have been made for each person’s roof (6 houses) lights have been checked and this year hopefully we can pull it together a Christmas street party for people to come and enjoy, buy homemade Christmas baking and crafts there will hopefully be an appearance by Santa and to top it all off there will be local firemen posing for pictures in an attempt to raise money for Charity. Some of you have asked what Charity? well  this year the Charity that we have chosen is “ VARIETY CHILDRENS CHARITY” Variety does so much for the children of our province and creates miracles for those in need that we figured they would be perfect for this year’s choice. There are so many great charities out there and it is hard to decide who to give too, if you cannot find a variety donation box then use a local charity in your area. The search is on for more lights, more display items and word of mouth advertising when the time comes. As most of you know, last year I had a bunch of my display items stolen from my yard and I have been working feverishly to find and replace what I can in hopes of making my yard and the rest of the neighborhood stand out to draw attention to our cause. There is a possibility that a local tree farm may donate 20 or so trees to the cause and sell them for a minimum donation of $25.00 boom easy $500.00 for Variety Club if that happens. I will also be encouraging people to bring a non-perishable food item for the food bank, or pet food for the local animal shelter. Either way we are going to help some people this year stolen decorations or not J

This will take a lot of work and preparation but will all be worth it. It will not matter if we raise $10 or $10,000, the simple fact that a group of people are coming together to raise awareness for a charity, make people smile and to enjoy the friendships we have created. I have not let variety know that they are the charity of choice but I guess they will know now.

As plans become finalized and it is for sure a go I will update you with where and when. If you do not live in the Fraser Valley Vancouver area and would like to donate, log on to the Variety Club website and donate what you can. Here is the link to the site http://www.variety.bc.ca/page357.htm and tell them that @FVsecretsanta and #TeamSanta sent you! My goal is $500 I hope that we can do it! There is no minimum donation required, every dollar helps

Please take the time to share this week’s blog post, hopefully you follow @fvsecretsanta and join in with us as we try and bring joy to the holiday season. Thanks #TeamSanta if you have any questions please feel free to email me at fvsecretsanta@gmail.com

THAT FEELING YOU GET

As we approach the 100 day countdown to Christmas I, as many of you start to get excited, some of you are not as extreme and  may not comprehend the magnitude of Christmas and the effect that it has on me and my family. It kind of drives Mrs. Santa crazy at times when I am painting or touching up display items in the middle of July on the front lawn, she is such a good sport about it all, the neighbors have even gone as far as buying Santa a T-Shirt with the phrase “I’m That Guy”. See, the neighbors give me a hard time about me and my Christmas obsession but the great part is whenever we have a BBQ or gathering the attention always shifts towards what are we doing with our Christmas displays this year and what new items we have found since the last time we talked. This year may be an epic year for our cul-de-sac as we are planning to light the whole area up, all 6 houses with displays lights and even a Mail box to Santa in order to try and raise money for charity, you may even see Santa in a suit on special nights serving hot chocolate. We have chosen a charity to raise money for but are waiting on announcing it at this time as I want to make sure that all the neighbors are fully committed to the cause, to avoid disappointment if it doesn’t work out! All I know is that my yard will look like Christmas threw up all over it (as usual). Santa was approached the other day and offered lots of Christmas items to replace the ones that were stolen from my yard last year, this is so much appreciated.I was also able to secure 6 8FT snowmen to display , one for each persons home.

Christmas to me is more than just a holiday, it’s a feeling, its excitement, it’s the anticipation of seeing smiling faces that otherwise are filled with a scowl. So many people with negative attitudes always express “it’s too commercial” “it’s too expensive” the stores are “too busy”, Christmas is what YOU make it , it does not have to be expensive or commercial and yes the stores may be busy but have you ever taken the chance to sit on a bench in a mall with a cup of coffee and actually see the expressions on people faces when they have just found that perfect gift for someone they love, the Smiles that the children have when they are all dressed up and waiting in line to see Santa ? It’s something that you do not see all the time.

The month of December offers to me personally a chance to even for a few hours a day to turn on my Tree, light up my display and kind of forget about the everyday rat race that we live in. Christmas allows me to spend more quality time with my Family, I can use the time to create projects like display making and light hanging with my kids and have the opportunity to drag them away from playing video games or watching TV. One of my most favorite things to do is build the Ginger Bread houses with my wife and kids ( I will admit I steal some of the candy before it gets on the house) building the Santa villages from ready-made kits made of foam, I think Mrs. Santa is banning me from the hot glue gun this year though, And the joy that comes from hearing Christmas Carols everywhere I go. Simply put I love all that Christmas has to offer and the overall vibrancy that it brings to me, my family and hopefully yours family too. Most of all it gives me and many others the chance to see, and express the generosity that the world has to offer by helping feed our hungry , support our favorite charity or make donations to our local shelters to feed the animals. I wish this could happen all year long but we must be happy with the opportunity we have been given.

So as we get closer to the 100 day countdown if I could ask that in your travels to a grocery store, Dollar store or pet store, start now grab a can or two extra of food, put it away and when the time comes to support a local food drive or charity event you can be able to support without hesitation and fill the food hampers that are so desperately needed! Also maybe think of Santa and the joy that he brings, not the burden that some people thinks he creates.MAKE CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR HOW YOU WANT IT TO BE, YOU GET OUT OF IT WHAT YOU PUT IN.

To me it will always be Merry Christmas, not just Happy Holidays.

103 Days and counting

Your Friend FVSecretSanta

Team Santa

Team Santa

Team Santa has taken on a life of its own since the 21rst of August! I wanted to extend a heartfelt and huge thank you to everyone who busted their ass to try and help Santa get to 5000 followers. To some that is not many, to others that’s a large amount; to me it’s a win for Charity. Along the way there were a few hiccups and a suspension or two but we made it despite the odds. @bowmovers put up a great fight and it was close up until the end.

I have never been one for large numbers of followers, I have been more about having the ability to reach people, draw from people and be inspired by people. There were some along this journey that decided that this was more than a race for charity and all for fun. These people had decided to mess with people’s accounts, hack them, report them as spam and just try and disrupt what should have been a friendly competition. All these spiteful people have done was attempt to hurt the charities and children that Santa helps, for this i feel sorry for them. This challenge to 5K has shown me and I am sure some of you that if you never give up and keep trying your best, good things will happen. We Banded together as a team with our differences, culture and color pushed aside . It was not an issue if you were straight or gay, black white yellow or brown, As a unit we found a way to work together to accomplish a common goal and that was  to try and help needy children in our communities. I wish that this could happen all over the world; I hope that one day we, the human race can get past the color of skin or the sexual preference that one may have. In the grand scheme of this why does it matter to me or you, it shouldn’t, it’s not our life to live or judge. If you look on my TL you will see that all walks of life are represented and I love it. The only way to eliminate hate and racism is to experience what another culture has to offer, gain understanding into why things are the way they are.  NOH8

On to the next adventure.

On a weekly basis (or when I can get around to posting) I would like to try and single out a person that is making a difference in a community, this is where I need your help. If you know someone who is trying hard to be a positive influence in their community please let me know. I want to make sure that the world knows there are good people doing good things right in our own backyards. So often we only hear about the bad in a community. I know of so many people that are trying to make a difference and to be a difference in their community.  

With the holiday season approaching and planning in effect for fund raising or charity events, just let me know how I can possibly help through FVSS and spreading the word about your cause. The SantaArmy has accomplished some amazing things this year, I am so proud of each and every one of you that helped and jumped on the Santa Train!! Hope you continue to enjoy the ride.

Positivity breeds confidence, confidence breeds humanity, humanity builds the world

It’s good to have realistic expectations; it gives people something to live up too