Merry Christmas

Hey, all! Justin & I have been talking about some way we could do something different this year for Christmas. With him in Afghanistan, we thought it would be nice to find some way to help over there. They don't celebrate Christmas, but there are definitely needs. This would be a way we could put a different focus on the holidays, and work on something as a family...from opposite sides of the world.

Well...Justin just met a lady over there from the US who works in a women's prison. These women are there for petty crimes...things we could never imagine going to prison for. Anyhow, the shocking part is that they have to take their kids to prison with them. There are MANY needs for these kids that are not met there (shoes, school supplies, simple toys, etc.). I can't imagine what these kids go through--talk about paying for someone else's mistake. Justin is going to try and gather more information and compile a list of what is needed. But for now, I am just going to share this with my kids and ask them if they are willing to help. For us, we're going to ask our kids to choose one gift they really want, and ask Santa for that. The rest of their letter to Santa will be asking for things for these kids. There are lots of ways to do it...our Santa approach, forgoing sibling and/or parent gifts, raising money, etc. Asking Santa is just what we think will work best for us. We will probably try to collect items/raise money as well.

This is where all of YOU come in! Please don't feel obligated to help (I know many of you do other service projects as a family), but I know I'm always looking for some way to focus the holidays on things that matter. If you are interested and would LIKE to help, please let me know. If you don't have kids at home, any kind of contribution would be greatly appreciated. I know it will probably cost a lot to get it all over there. I will send more details as I get them. We aren't going to send stuff until after Christmas, but I wanted to give anyone who's interested time to plant the idea and make a family plan.

If you are interested, and I don't have your email address, please leave it in my comments so I can keep you updated that way. Also, if you're not local, but would like to help...don't fret...they have flat-rate military boxes at the post office that cost $10.95 to ship, regardless of the weight. Email me, and I can send you Justin's address. You can send it directly to him.

So...spread the word! Tell your neighbors, family, friends, book groups, play groups, ANY group! It's always nice to have a project to bond over during the holidays, and if you haven't found one yet...this could be it!

Again, if you have any questions (and don't have my email), please leave your email address in my comments and I'll get back to you.


good things...

1. living in a country where I don't have to go to prison for my mother's mistakes (not that my mother has ever made a mistake ;)
2. watching my kids get excited over this project
3. finding a way to shrink the distance between us & Justin over the holidays