Do you see Disability or Ability

I wanted to point out that I am so happy to be back working with one of my former clients , I will give you a little background on him! MS is a 29yr male who has cerebral palsy, this young man and I have been together for almost 5 years minus the 6 months this past year when I went to another position. MS is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met in my life , when you meet him you instantly fall in love with his charisma charm and his amazing outlook on life. Not once has he ever asked for help with a battle that he could do on his own, with clear and precise articulation he will debate his case and show that his disability is clearly cosmetic. During my time off of his case MS came to my home, socialized with my friends and even attended social outings with just the guys. MS is not only my client he is my friend. In my line of work you should not pick favorites or become too emotionally attached to clients but how can you not when they are as amazing as him. My family loves him my kids love him and hell I swear my father in law has a bromance going on with MS. The unfortunate part for MS is that for 5 years we have been looking to find him a job because all he wants is to feel like he is productive citizen and that he contributes in a positive way back to his community, no one will hire him because all they see is his disability and not his ability . I wanted to post word for word of a letter that he wrote to the producer and host of the radio show "The Current" it is as follows :
"Dear

My name is MS , I am a 29 year old resident of Surrey BC and a long time fan of your show. I recently was listening to an episode of the "Current" and the subject was a documentary regarding the anti Gay movement in Russia. While listening I could not help but realize that I was taken back to the thought of the national socialist party circa Nazi Germany WW2 . The sudden and frightening realization has given me pause for thought, the tactics used in Russia today are a stark reminder of the atrocities that were used against the Jewish population at the start of the War.the only primary difference is that instead of using a religious background as a social fall guy as you will , the Russians are choosing to use a state of being as their target. I would also like to share my thoughts in a statement made in the documentary ( indirect quote ) " good people can do terrible things " in a case such as this evil is evil let us not mince words here. While it is true that good people can do terrible things , I am sure a man with your background can attest , there is no denying that these vigilante groups that are given autonomy by there  government could be considered a declaration of war against the subculture of the international community ! In closing it is my belief , as the international community we need to stand up for the rights of every individual regardless of race , religion or sexual preference or face the real possibility of a world wide revolt and a repeat performance of the horrible and heinous acts of our past."

This man has so many great thoughts and ideas in his head and it's a shame that no one will take him seriously in life and give him the chance to feel whole. The writing may be rough in areas but I hope you can see the brilliance in this man and the next time you meet someone with a disability you may stop and want to know more about their ABILITY. Be kind

Santa To 10k

As I inch closer to my goal of #SantaTo10k I find myself wondering , how far do I go ? My whole idea for growing @FVSecretSanta is to be able to spread more awareness of social issues , be an inspiration to more people and  promote the donation of time -money or word of mouth for numerous charities here in Vancouver and around the world. I had someone ask me the other day how much have you raised for Charity ? Honestly I can not answer that question, there has been so many different causes that I have been a part of and to be frank I don't keep track and I don't want too ! If you start counting the pennies you lose track of the dollars and lose sight of why you are fund raising in the first place, helping people. I would love to one day hit 100k in followers and be able to know that I am reaching a large audience and making an impact. When I do leave this world ( not anytime soon I hope ) I don't want to be remembered for the material things I have , but for the heart in my body and for the values I have instilled in my children hoping they will carry on the KINDNESS TO OTHERS mission I find myself on. I want to thank everyone who has stood behind @fvsecretsanta and helped to build #TeamSanta to the point we are at now. It's never been about me or what I can gain from this whole thing , it's about you and what we can do together to help others in this world that have been dealt a hand that is hard to play. Thank you Vancouver , Canada , the World and especially every single person who believes in #TeamSanta. It's about People helping people. Much Love

Valentines Day

Ahhh another holiday upon us , the corporate world telling us that the only way possible to show someone that you love them is by showering them with lavish gifts , cards from the store and way too over priced flowers that are sold on every corner. Did I buy a card? . YES did I buy flowers? Of course but I bet you if I would have written on the chalkboard in the kitchen "I LoveYou" it would have just as much impact. Just like at Christmas it's not the cost , not what you buy ,it about the expression of feelings towards the ones who mean the most to you. I still remember the day that I knew I had met the woman of my dreams, feeling down due to the ending of a relationship and hating women and the world , a friend dragged me to the bar to get out from the house. Minding my own business, drinking rye and ginger like it was Gatorade, I started shaking my head at a girl walking by that was wearing those "Chewbacca" fuzzy hairy boots ( They really were horrible boots). I guess  the head shake did not go un-noticed because I was approached by another woman who was smiling and laughing at my reaction to the boots. When I saw her I could not take my eyes off of her amazing smile, you know when you see in movies that everything slows down and almost seems in slow motion? That's how it felt, that's how it still feels almost 8 years later. I know sappy stuff huh , it's not quite "The Notebook" and it's definitely not "Baywatch" slow but you get the idea. Mrs Santa has given me 3 beautiful children and I am positive they got their beautiful looks from her. I honestly couldn't have  imagined the life I have now 8 years ago but I can imagine life without Mrs Santa and my 3 amazing children. Sure we have struggled through adversity , family issues , financial issues the sickness of our family members and children and even death but one thing we haven't done is give up on each other and the love we have. What I hope for all of you reading this or not is to someday find that one person or have already found that one person that is a key piece to your hearts puzzle. Happy Valentines Day everyone

Pride of a nation

The Olympics have begun and are off to a fantastic start. I know that many people find the Olympics to be an over priced  political event but once you see past all the government bureaucracy , you can almost feel the electricity that it brings and the unification of a country. Every 4 years no matter what country you live in you will find those people that are enemies standing side by side cheering for one common goal , the pride of a nation. Yes in some cases there are professionals that play in the games but the Olympics are about best on best not paycheck for paycheck. There have been many stories that have come out of Russia regarding the homophobic ideations of the Russian leader and the senseless slaughter of innocent animals for being homeless. These stories are an outrage and make me sick to think about ! I am so proud of our gay and lesbian athletes from around the world that had the courage to not back down and to attend the games with pride and to represent not only their country but also themselves. One heartwarming story I heard about was during a Biathlon race ; a Russian skier broke one of their ski's on the way to the finish line , a Canadian skier stopped gave the Russian skier one of their skis so that the person could finish the race to boisterous cheers  in front of the home crowd. That to me symbolizes what the games are all about , passion , compassion , fair play and the show of unity. Sure we all hope for the most gold medals so we can pump up our chest and say for that moment we are the best but I am sure if you would ask people at the end of the day , would you rather have all the medals and be known as a nation that does not care about anything but winning and is seen as arrogant or would you take no medals and be known as a nation that played their hearts out for the crest on the front of the uniform and not just the name on the back. Regardless of the medal count , to me , every person that puts on a Canadian uniform is an Olympics champion to me.I hope that you feel the same from which ever country you represent. To all the moms,dads and coaches this is a time to be proud you have prepared your champions well.

Unconditional love

Many believe that life gives you only as much as you can handle. Life must think we can handle a lot.
I am sure that some of you who do follow Santa's tweets were aware that  about a week ago Mrs Santa had what we thought was an Asthma attack, it was very scary watching my wife battle for air and not be able to help her in a moment when she needed me.sitting there helpless I can't even make her laugh ( it's just what I always do to try and lighten a situation) wanting to see that beautiful smile. Mrs Santa is not only the mother to my 3 children but my soul mate and I was truly worried for her at that moment. I tried not to let it show ,she needed me.
Fortunately the attack passed and we were sent home , unfortunately Mrs Santa has a diagnosis of of another kind other than Asthma , I will not get into the dynamics of what she has at this point but I will say we are thankful that it's nothing terminal or threatening to her life.
There were many tears and hugs from all of us, if we didn't know we loved each other before we sure do now . Mrs Santa keeps saying " Thank you for being so supportive" I just let her know that no matter what she may be dealing with , we deal with as a family and there would be nothing that she could be dealing with that would make me love her any less . Love should always be unconditional there should not be any parameters or guidelines.
Same should be said about our love for helping other people, there are so many people out there that are hurting and in need of someone to love them or at least show that someone in this world cares.
I wanted to mention that I was able to attend a conference this week that dealt with a subject that I feel is so important " Violence against women" I am sure that each and everyone who reads this knows of or has heard of a woman
Who has been a victim of violence of abuse. This cycle has to stop , we can no longer turn a blind eye. When you see or hear of abuse #DontBeABystander report it , call the police be a friend . There is a few people that I would like to thank for there efforts in taking a stand for ending violence. The @bclions @j_tonto27 @angusreid64 #JamieTaras @TravisLulay @GM_Brillo as you know the lions are an outstanding organization that have helped Santa in the past with donations for events for some of my disabled clients as well they made a dream come true for 2 clients who are wheel chair bound to come and see a game Live  that they had only experienced on TV. Mr Lulay even made time to sign the  @timhortons gift cards I had  to give to the homeless in our community so they could get shot meal. Another great example of Unconditional love . Please everyone who reads this thank all of the people listed above plus anyone else that has the courage to #DontBeABystander
http://www.endingviolence.org

Owning up to your mistakes

 I know its been awhile and here is an explanation why.

 Over the past few months I have to be honest, Santa has been on an emotionally draining roller coaster. For obvious reasons I can’t get into the details due to Privacy issues with a client. What I can tell you is that I am now back in my former position , my former office and getting to work with the same  wonderful people I had met over the last 5 years doing case management.

To say that I am happy to be back is a HUGE Understatement for me to make! I took the other position to better myself and better my family with a raise in salary; Money isn’t everything! Each day I would start off trying to present a positive attitude and optimistic outlook on the day ahead, by the end of the day I have smoked 2 packs of cigarettes and I was about to explode like a volcano. I did not like who I was becoming. Stress was a major part of my mood swings and I realize that stress is a part of life, unfortunately I was the one who added the stress on my own when I could have prevented; just not taking the job in the first place. I have wrestled with that fact since the first 2 weeks in the former position, I knew it wasn’t working.

Due to my stubbornness and  crazy  inner  voice that does not let me give up on anything , I stayed hoping that things would change and maybe get better; I was wrong it only got worse – ALLOT worse. Being saddled with a manager who I know did not want me in the position was difficult but  I am just like everyone else in this world and I need a paycheck to pay my bills. Unfortunately, I am now stuck in the middle of a very high profile case that could have been avoided if someone had done their job in the first place. Placing me and a few of my co-workers in a position that could have been potentially dangerous and career ending is absolutely unacceptable. This person not only did not do their due diligence, they have now tried to throw all of us under the bus to try and save their own skin. Fortunately the investigation portion appears to be over and through thorough examination, my name is clear of wrong doing (As it should be anyways). The next phase is to  DE-stress and come to the realization that I did the best I could in the situation I was put into. I feel good with the job I did while I was there and I KNOW I left my clients in better shape than when I arrived.

The moral of this rambling is that, I own the fact that maybe even though I had the best of intentions; I made a mistake in accepting a position knowing  it was going to fail. After the dust settled I have my old position back, I am doing what I love to do and working once again or people that I know respect and value my work.

To my former manager as a leader and someone that each and every person who works for you looks to in times of confusion or crisis you have lost the confidence of all your staff and also  throughout the organization. If you do lose your job I empathize with you because I know what it’s like to be unemployed but at this point I know you would not have shed a tear for me if you had gotten away with having 2 of your staff losing their jobs while yours was safe.

As Santa I have too, and believe in teaching forgiveness and compassion for others when they need a hand, eventually I will forgive you for the nightmare that I have been through for the past 3 months but what I can’t do is forgive what you put our client through in an attempt to make yourself look better. A person in this world no matter what age they are has the right to feel secure, be nurtured and know that when they go to sleep at night they are in an environment that allows them to explore their dreams knowing they are safe. You didn’t do that and I am ashamed (even if it was unknowingly) that you made me become a part of that.       

If you are man or woman enough to make a mistake everyone does , be man or woman enough to OWN YOUR MISTAKE.  

Merry Christmas everyone

As Christmas draws close and the final few hours are ticking off the clock I have to be honest I have been contemplating retiring as Fraser Valley Secret Santa after this holiday season for various reasons. Not knowing what impact I have had and needing to concentrate on my career that is in a spiral keep me guessing ! Then I think about the people that are or have been part of my life and the smiles they have created and I want to do more.its a tough choice to make, you all have made me feel incredible for what we have accomplished. One reason to stay,  I keep being flooded with emotion , thoughts of those who are here and those who are no longer here with us in body but in spirit. At this time of year I seem to always be thinking of my grandparents who were some of the best people I ever had the pleasure of meeting. I am grateful for all the life lessons they have instilled in me on how to be a decent person and how to be a man. I remember getting so excited at Christmas as a boy when I saw my grandparents arrive , how my grandpa could see through the window I will never know, remember the Griswalds and their Christmas tree ? Well that was my grandma but with presents! They would often make the journey from Vancouver island to spend the holidays with us in our home. Hope you don't mind but I wanted to tell you about one Christmas when I was young that I will never forget! Times were hard and my mom was sick, and for Christmas all this little man wanted was a blue 10 speed bike. I dreamed of this bike but I knew there was no money to get one. On Christmas morning I woke up and of course no bike , I opened my presents and the last one my grandpa have me was a model.it was a model of a blue bike! Though dissapointed I thanked my grandpa and gave him a kiss and told him maybe next year! My grandpa said to me that day " that's the right attitude and I am so proud of you" my grandpa asked me about 10 minutes later if I would help him get the Turkey from the porch so mom could get it ready for dinner! We walked out on the porch and there with a big red bow was a Blue 10 speed bike with the shiniest wire wheels you have ever seen . ( I am not afraid to admit that I have a tear in my eye as I am writing this ) I rode that bike everyday I washed it , polished it and appreciated that bike like no ones business. Take the time and try and recall your most Favorite memory and hold on to it. I miss my grandparents but their memory will always be present as long as I live! Enjoy the time you get to spend with your family this holiday season, create your own memories, you never know it could be one that lasts for a lifetime.
From the entire Santa family to yours I wish you the Merriest of Christmas's and a very prosperous New Year

Feeling it

I know I am not the only one that this happens too and that this has been happening everywhere , just have to open the newspaper and there is more stories to read but I can't seem to find the answer we are all looking for "WHY"? Three days removed from the big decoration heist and to be honest as I told a follower of #TeamSanta , I am not angry anymore I just honestly feel like by stealing more decorations they have taken more than just material things from all of us.as late as last Saturday as I told my neighbour over a beer in my front yard at 8 at  night in the dark " I need to get this finished it looks to good but I know I can do more" each night I would put my lights on and walk around the yard to see how things could be better , making sure all lights are working then neighbours would come out and chat we would laugh and talk about our day  , that was Tuesday .today all the talk is how people don't want us to move , tears from some of the best people you could ever hope to meet in your life!  I have to be honest I am not a good mover I get lots of anxiety , I know that staying in this house is an option but maybe moving is a necessity , we have had so many things happen in this Cul de Sac and it's starting to get better but when is enough enough ? We have had SWAT teams in our bedroom due to a hostage taking in the Crack house next door , all our kids witnessed a man being beaten with a bat down the alley! Believe it or not we can not even put flower planters out because they go missing ! Don't get me wrong the area I live in is new construction unfortunately it's mixed in with about 5 houses that are still old school and owned by a known Felon and his son who is a crack an other kinds of drug dealer , those few houses have brought down the whole block . I know I got off topic  but explaining a bit about why I am not feeling the Spirit may give insight into my statement that " they didn't just take material things when the stole my displays"
I have to say the offers of support are somewhat overwhelming , I still have faith in humanity  and I thank each and everyone of you.  a few isolated incidents against us should not warrant losing the over all christmas spirit but the point I guess that I am trying to make is this
At what point in this life did it get to the point that your own yard can not be a safe place for you or your kids
Christmas isn't even sacred anymore ! All of us 7 families have been affected by someone's urge to grab a few lights and decorations from my lawn. You have influenced our lives and changed our course for the future! I truly hope the feeling comes back soon because I love Christmas and love being Santa but right now I am trying so damn hard unfortunately  I just don't feel it .

Careful What You Wish For

Hello everyone:

Well this has been a world wind kind of week for me, back at my new OLD job but this time in Vancouver, supposed to be on a temporary basis and I sure hope that is the case! I have wished for a long time for this position, Be careful what you wish for huh. In all seriousness I absolutely love my job and what I do but I am struggling with the fact that this new position is not in the same office as before and I have just added a minimum hour to my commute each day plus the unfortunate cost of the toll bridge and the extra gas consumed. The tolls and gas I can deal with, eats up my raise but it’s the time away from my wife and family that has me conflicted. An hour a day may not seem so long but I find that my children are growing up so fast, and with a hectic schedule of kids and work Mrs Santa and I don’t get lots of time together as it is. They have told me that this is a temporary move and that I will be out from the city and back in the burbs in no time. Lesson in patience for Santa.

With only 41 days remaining until the big day I know that most of you are starting to make holiday preparations, shop for gifts and organizes festive parties, we are too. I would hope that the people reading this have a safe and happy upcoming holiday season. PLEASE do not drink and drive.

As for an update on the Santa Block Party, well unfortunately I could not pull it all together in time for the event, I was not able to secure the necessary lights and decorations could not be made in time. I will say that I will be working on the block party for next year and hope that maybe a sponsor or two may join in as it was just too expensive to do on my own for this year. What I have done instead is started to make and design light blocks in an attempt to make my personal goal of $500 for Variety Club Children’s Charity. I have sold a few so far and Mrs. Santa will be going to a Craft fair on Nov 23 and has a booth so she will be taking some of them to try and sell also along with her crafts that she makes.  Mrs. Santa is one of the most talented people I know between making custom cloth diapers, quilts, stuffed animals and so much more, on top of that she works and keeps our crazy lives organized in the home. I don’t think I give her enough credit for what she does. Hope everyone had a chance to see the one light block that I have made in support of Breast Cancer research, that block will be going up on a bidding site in the coming days and will start at $60.00 and hopefully go up from there. If it’s bought by someone in Vancouver or the Fraser valley I will deliver it personally and thank you for helping to find a cure. If anyone is looking for a personalized block or for any occasion not just for Christmas let me know they start at $40.00 + shipping and partial proceeds will be going to Variety Club Children’s Charity. I hope that you all have a FANTASTIC week and be kind to everyone you meet.

Your Friend SANTA

@fvsecretsanta

updates on the Street Party

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

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

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