Another week is in the books for 2013. Halloween decorations are up and look great with the few new additions that Mrs Santa was able to add to her collection of ghouls.
One of the best additions we have made is the installation of a security camera ( unfortunately it's not real just battery operated )to hopefully be a deterrent to those who like to steal our decorations . It's a sad reality that in this day and age you have to protect the very things you have worked so hard to acquire from those who have no respect for what hard work is. The truth is if people would come up to the door and knock , The Santa family would probably give them something to eat or help in anyway they could so that the people don't have to steal. As you may have seen in tweets over the last few weeks decorations are being cut painted and prepared for the holiday season. I worry if they will make it but if I let that get in my head and think "oh no someone is going to steal my stuff again" I would be letting the few criminals ruin what is a special time of year for my family , my friends and the charities I try and promote. I am still hoping to have the Santa street party , my concern is that there will not be enough decorations up to attract people to want to come see and donate though bake sales and Tree sales. I will be sitting down with my neighbours in the next week or so to figure out our game plan, with 60+ days to go it may be tough! I am still on the hunt for display items and MORE lights , Santa does not give up and will try my best to make it happen.
As most of you know I recently lost my position in mental health and have been working as a youth development worker . I am happy to announce that though my work in youth development is important and I have been able to help and connect with troubled youth , I have been offered my old position back managing case loads and I gladly accepted. I love the job that I did in mental health and look forward to returning to a fresh case load and once again being able to make a direct impact in the lives of persons with mental health and disability issues.
I will keep this week short and sweet and hope that everyone has a magical week upcoming. Take care #TeamSanta and we will talk again soon . @FVsecretsanta
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Thursday, October 10, 2013
What's on my mind
As the season’s change and the nights get longer I am starting to realize just exactly how close we are to the Christmas season and how far behind I am. I would love to say that I am prepared for the Santa block party and that all decorations have been made and painted , all the lights have been found but unfortunately I cant .
I have Tried many times in vain to have a local company or even the city of langley allow us to borrow some of the tremendous amounts of surplus decorations they have to allow for an even better reason for people to show up and donate to our Christmas fund raiser. What i can tell you that is confirmed, well we have 20-30 Christmas trees that will be available for sale on the block @ a min donation of 20-25$, fresh homemade Christmas baking will be available for purchase, hot chocolate, and possibly popcorn should we be able to find a popcorn cart. As I stated before we are looking to raise a min of $500.00 for variety but will be happy with any amount raised to be honest.
I would like to say thank you to so many people that have been making the attempt to grow the #TEAMSANTA over the last couple of months. I would like to clarify to others the reasons why there is a #SantaFollowTrain. I as many of you have tried countless times to have people interact and become vocal and passionate about what you or I do. The idea of the #SantaArmy was to show the world and everyone within ear shot that people will stand together while continuing to grow towards the importance of ending homelessness, poverty and the mistreatment of persons with mental illness or those affected by physical disabilities in our communities. Unfortunately when I was making a pitch to promote a charity, event or a plea for help I was encountering very little response so that’s where the #SantaFollowTrain comes into play. Grow the numbers, become noticed by more people, and be able to help so many more. There is great power in numbers and just because you may not know of a solution or where to donate or who may have access to programs in a community, someone on your timeline just very well may. To those that have exited the Santa TL, I am sorry that you are gone but all that does is open up a spot for others who really believe in change and want to help be the change this world needs.
The last item I wanted to touch on was the whole "Cost of Christmas" mentality that I have been encountering more and more over the last few weeks as the holiday season approaches. Christmas only costs what you want to spend, there are so many free and interactive events that take place in you community each holiday season. No one told you that you had to buy a PS4 for your 6-year-old, no one said that you must buy a gift for every person that you have ever met. Live within your means and try and get the people surrounding you to see that its #NotTheCost that makes the holiday season remarkable, it’s who you are with that does. As time goes by {maybe I am just getting older} I find that there is more and more emphasis and effort on how much you can spend, than what is put into the thought and consideration the present itself. Lets get back to simple Christmas traditions like enjoying our families, enjoying our friends and most of all enjoying the life we live because it’s the only one we will ever have. The only thing that needs to be considered in a monetary way is the memories you will create, they are PRICELESS.
@FVSecretSanta
I have Tried many times in vain to have a local company or even the city of langley allow us to borrow some of the tremendous amounts of surplus decorations they have to allow for an even better reason for people to show up and donate to our Christmas fund raiser. What i can tell you that is confirmed, well we have 20-30 Christmas trees that will be available for sale on the block @ a min donation of 20-25$, fresh homemade Christmas baking will be available for purchase, hot chocolate, and possibly popcorn should we be able to find a popcorn cart. As I stated before we are looking to raise a min of $500.00 for variety but will be happy with any amount raised to be honest.
I would like to say thank you to so many people that have been making the attempt to grow the #TEAMSANTA over the last couple of months. I would like to clarify to others the reasons why there is a #SantaFollowTrain. I as many of you have tried countless times to have people interact and become vocal and passionate about what you or I do. The idea of the #SantaArmy was to show the world and everyone within ear shot that people will stand together while continuing to grow towards the importance of ending homelessness, poverty and the mistreatment of persons with mental illness or those affected by physical disabilities in our communities. Unfortunately when I was making a pitch to promote a charity, event or a plea for help I was encountering very little response so that’s where the #SantaFollowTrain comes into play. Grow the numbers, become noticed by more people, and be able to help so many more. There is great power in numbers and just because you may not know of a solution or where to donate or who may have access to programs in a community, someone on your timeline just very well may. To those that have exited the Santa TL, I am sorry that you are gone but all that does is open up a spot for others who really believe in change and want to help be the change this world needs.
The last item I wanted to touch on was the whole "Cost of Christmas" mentality that I have been encountering more and more over the last few weeks as the holiday season approaches. Christmas only costs what you want to spend, there are so many free and interactive events that take place in you community each holiday season. No one told you that you had to buy a PS4 for your 6-year-old, no one said that you must buy a gift for every person that you have ever met. Live within your means and try and get the people surrounding you to see that its #NotTheCost that makes the holiday season remarkable, it’s who you are with that does. As time goes by {maybe I am just getting older} I find that there is more and more emphasis and effort on how much you can spend, than what is put into the thought and consideration the present itself. Lets get back to simple Christmas traditions like enjoying our families, enjoying our friends and most of all enjoying the life we live because it’s the only one we will ever have. The only thing that needs to be considered in a monetary way is the memories you will create, they are PRICELESS.
@FVSecretSanta
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