Where I work in Maine, we always have a Toys for Tots drive around Christmas. Usually, the cardboard boxes are filled to bursting with toys by the time the Marines come to collect them.
This year it is different.
As of today the boxes are all but empty. Only a handful of toys have been donated so far at my company, and most of them came from my family. I would not be surprised if this scene is playing out across the country. Times are hard, brutal for some. Unemployment gets higher every month, more companies are slashing jobs. It's very easy to pass by the boxes and say "Not this year."
But this is Christmas, a time to reach out and help each other. And across this country, millions of children will wake up on Christmas morning and find...nothing. Because their parents had to choose between food and a gift. Between heating oil and a gift. And while their parents made the right choice (of course), it's hard for a child to understand that.
No child should have to spend Christmas without a present.
The toy doesn't have to be fancy or complicated or expensive. Just a soccer ball or a doll. A couple of action figures or a plane. A board game. Pop-up books. Toys that cost as much as a Value Meal at McDonalds.
I don't doubt that most of you here have already helped out with Toys for Tots or done even more. The generosity of the members here is one of the greatest things about the Daily Kos. But if you have not, or you want to but don't know where to deliver a toy, here is the link. At the top and bottom of the page are links you can use to find a donation location in your area.
And if you are unfortunate enough to be in a position where you cannot give your children a toy this Christmas, you can request one on the site as well.
I thank you for your patience with what has not really been a diary. But no matter how hard it gets, we should always strive to make it as happy a holiday season as we can.
Dave