Respect is earned , Not given

I write this At the risk of alienating myself from some members of the celebrity population, if so that’s too bad I guess .

I can only imagine what life must be like when you have throngs of reporters or paparazzi hanging on your every move, following you to snap a picture of some sort of diabolical nose picking incident or plastering your name all over the tabloids for gaining a pound or two. For that I apologize on behalf of the people who could really care less, your private lives are your own and I believe it should stay that way. On the other hand, sometimes athletes, movie stars or musicians are absolutely ridiculous. Take the act of Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks, people are paying thousands of dollars to watch him play, hundreds of dollars on a jersey to support the team and he is getting millions to play a game in a fantastic league and all he chooses to do is come out each week and make a mockery out of the team, the fans and the NFL. I am not really sure what he is trying to accomplish with his act but it's really getting old. We don’t want to hear about what you ate last night , we want to hear how you feeling about the game , what’s going to help you be best prepared to play in the championship, instead we get “ I’m just here so I don’t get fined” . Some say he is riddled with anxiety , I am no doctor but if he would just come out say " I love playing football" "the fans are great" " I will do my best to win" there would be a lot less anxiety based situations for him to be in. He is putting himself ahead of the team and the game. Someone said to me this morning “it’s a violation of human rights to ask him questions”! What a load of BS that is, go give that human rights speech to people starving in Africa, genocide in Rwanda, the holocaust survivors and see how much sympathy you receive. Plain and simple just give the fans, your teammates and the game a little respect that's all anyone is looking for. I am a diehard fan of all sports but I will admit when I see players like Marshawn Lynch, Sean Avery, Terrell Owens, Ocho Cinco, Milton Bradley, Allen Iverson, Pacman jones, Rampage Jackson, A-rod and the list can go on and on, I now simply choose to turn off the TV. I don’t want to paint all celebrities and sports stars with the same brush, for one it’s not fair and two because there is more Fantastic people than there is bad. That’s like saying all the Santa’s of the world are alike, NOT SO ;). This is some of the best people that I have experienced in my life. #1 on my list is recording artist Bif Naked, she takes the time to interact with her fans, and she genuinely cares what is happening in her world and the world of all who surround her. I have the utmost respect for her and the battles that she has faced. Some of the other notables just here in Vancouver are Trevor Linden, Travis Lulay, Bro Jake Edwards, Robin Stickley, Sarah Daniels, Chris Galius, Ronnie Negus, Marco Iannuzzi, BClions, and Corin Nemic. These are just some of the people in MY area that GET IT. If you take the time to follow them on twitter or Facebook you will see what I mean. these people understand that its important to give respect to their fans ( The ones that deserve it and show respect back of course). If you have a celeb or sports star that you know of that is great to interact with and takes time to show respect to their fans let me know because I will support them just as they support you.

 

 “We just ask for a little respect”

@Fvsecretsanta / fvsecretsanta.com / Chris Claus on facebook

Over active mind

I never run out of things to write about, maybe it's because my mind doesn't ever stop , I think if I did slow down I would probably pass out from all the extra oxygen that's flooding my brain. Like for instance I am sitting here watching tennis and thinking about a million different ways that I can get people interested in helping to raise awareness about social issues , sick children, hungry and abused animals , then I step  outside For some air and I think " geez it's chilly wonder if people have enough blankets , has Bernard the homeless man who lives under the 264 over pass gotten enough to eat . Not sure if this is a curse or a blessing sometimes. I think this is just a product of my environment. Or is it that now that I am in the back half of my life ( yes I passed the 40 mark ) I reflect more on the experience that I have gained throughout my time on this earth. As most of you know I grew up with not much money but a whole lot of love. I'm sure  there is many of you that are shaking your head and saying "me too". It's that love that has brought me to this point and keeps carrying me through to this day . My wife has got to be the most supportive person I have ever known along with Granny Santa of course. I may not have sold many bracelets I may not sell any shirts hats or gloves but to her it doesn't matter, she loves my heart and willingness to keep trying to make a difference in my little piece of this world . I want to apologize to her for the times I must drive her nuts and in the same breath say thank you for continuing to show me how to love  my family , the world but most of all myself. 

Be kind 

Fvsecretsanta 

Fundraising is hard sometimes

It gets Harder with each passing day. I have been working on 2 fundraising ideas for awhile now and not sure just what I can do with them. With the holiday season ended and having lost money on the last fundraiser I am hesitant about starting something new. 

With the help of a Santa follower Jonathan jones from jmjgraphicdesign.com we were able to come up with a fantastic logo for fvsecretsanta.com in hopes that creating a brand will help the quest for establishing a positive voice for Charity. If you need anything created for your site, team or yourself  please give him a chance he has a big heart and even bigger talent for making your vision into reality. 

I would have loved to keep the shirt costs down to a minimum but unfortunately I can't  get under $20 , as an individual with no corporate backing there is a ton of print shops willing to print for me but most have minimum orders and I just can't afford to do it for cheaper. The shirts I do sell , proceeds will go to Varietybc and Canuck place children's hospice approx $1.25 per shirt . Now you see why I wanted the cost down , it would mean more for the children. The other Fundraiser that I was looking into was the cotton smart gloves that allow you to still type on your phones and tablets while keeping your hands warm and cozy , that one is $250.00 just to get a minimum run done. I will keep my head down and charge the mountain to find funding and to sell a few shirts and gloves to help sick children find a way to be healthy and grow up to live long and healthy lives. 

If you are interested in a shirt let me know , you can use PayPal fvsecretsanta@hotmail.com and add the size you want and I will order it in $20.00 plus $6 to ship . If you would just like to donate to the site to help get either of these fundraisers going I would appreciate all the help I can get. If it's not possible I would ask that you continue to share Santa with the world and the more people that follow , the more chance there is to make each fundraiser as successful as it truly can be. 

REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS 

be kind to everyone you meet 

Fvsecretsanta 

That one good friend

Besides Mrs. Santa or your partner, We all have that one friend in this world that you can always count on to listen when you need it, laugh with until it hurts, cry when you are upset and the odd time find the perfect way to get in trouble WITH , without even trying! My friend “T” is that guy that and realizing that it's been about 20 years now that I have known him I want to share a memorable story with you. I have to admit he has tried his best to pull Santa out of some low points and has been successful every single time. One of the things that I will never forget was the weekend that we went to Williams Lake Stampede. Yes it was a yearly pilgrimage (not only an Elf but a Cowboy too) but this one time was different. I was feeling down from personal issues and was going to skip the year’s Rodeo but through motivation we decided to go after work and make the 6 hour drive to party with 20 of our other friends who were already there. Glad Joe was driving because Santa and “T” had quite a few road pops in the passenger seat (not smart) on the way up. Arrived around 7 am campground was quiet all our other friends sleeping, yah that didn't last long. Allegedly the rumor was Santa pee'd on someone's trailer who was not a part of our group, ALLEGEDLY.in my defense I thought they were with our group , oooops . As you can see the weekend was going to get sideways in a hurry and this was only Friday. Over the course of the weekend he bailed me out of the bull pen , put me to bed when I really needed a rest but most of all let me do what I thought I needed to do to feel better , this was exactly what I needed and what a true friend should do. To cap off the weekend, Sunday night! Sitting around the campfire “T” says the we have to go home in the morning, back to reality so why not drink "All the Beer" so me always the team player had to support my buddy , we stayed up all night laughing and joking and yes there was not a beer to be had in the morning ! On the drive home in his infinite wisdom or post “all the beer” hangover he says let's stop at Tim Horton’s “I need coffee”, me with my large 2 cream , him shoehorned in the back seat with his double double  Joe driving, we hit the road for the long drive home. 20 minutes into the journey he remembers he's lactose intolerant! The poor gas station attendant at 108 mile house I am sure was not expecting to spend the next couple hours with 3 Cowboys! I never laughed so hard in my whole life. We both were saddled with nicknames that weekend that will never be forgotten! I needed a friend and that’s what I got. The power of friendship is in my opinion the best and most wonderful thing that any of us could ever experience. So many people come and go during the span of your life so If you have that one friend that you can always count on no matter what, let them know that they mean the world to you even if it is just a simple phone call to say “Hi” . Thanks T for being a great friend

Hello friends

As I start to sink my teeth into the new year and put the holiday season behind us I must admit I have been working hard to try and secure helpers and backers to get my next Christmas fundraising campaign off the ground, unfortunately I have had zero success so far. The last couple that I have done have sadly failed miserably. I am not sure wether it's the economy or or lack of enthusiasm but the fundraising and helping others business isn't what it used to be. Now a days there is so many that have their hands out that it can be difficult to know who to support, maybe that's part of the issue. I have started to research new ways to be more effective in my quest. If anyone has any ideas , let me know. I as  most people find that after the holidays end there is some melancholy that creeps in but also a sense of wonder what the year ahead will bring. So far the new year has seen a large amount of violence all around the world , France , Nigeria, Ukraine and sadly even here in my home country of Canada. I am not sure about you but I find myself avoiding the evening news more often than not because I am tired of the daily violence. Well for now I will continue to try and see the good in all people, try to remain positive and hopefully with your help one day see team Santa being the lead news story and becoming an inspiration for others to follow! Thank you for reading this and most importantly thank you for your support and friendship. 

Fraser Valley Secret Santa