A day to offer holiday wishes buoyed by gratitude

Merry  Christmas and happy holidays to all! It has been a wonderful year for the Santa Claus Fund. We are very thankful for all the support we received this year. It has been a pleasant journey, and I look forward to the holidays. They will provide a little down time for me and my volunteers.

There was a lot to do in so short a time. But I have to thank all the volunteers at the North Pole Annex who did a marvelous job.

I want to wish all of the men and women who made those wonderful wooden toys and knitted all those hats, scarves, blankets and mittens, a very Merry  Christmas. Your talent, time and money are a key part of our program. Thank you so much.

I have to thank those Christmas shoppers who bring the toys and drop them off at the Elks lodges. I wish you a merry Christmas too!

Those extra toys often plug the holes in our inventory when we really need them. To those of you who take the time to make these generous donations, I wish you a very Merry Christmas too. Your donations this year are nothing short of a miracle. Thank you so much.

I also wish to send a special thank you and a merry Christmas to our friends at The Times Record. Their support cannot be understated. They allow us to communicate with all of you every day from Thanksgiving to Dec. 31. Their partnership is so important to us, and I appreciate all they do for us.

I am going to keep this short today to meet holiday deadlines. Here are the latest donations: L. Valerie Campbell and Stephen H. Campbell sent $25. Richard and Pauline Harris mailed us $70. Thank you.

We also received a $75 donation from Lief, Kim, Kelsea, Moriah, and Micailah Albertson. They wish to recognize the fantastic teachers and staff at the Bath Middle School and the Phippsburg Elementary School. Thank you, Albertson family.

Today’s total is $170. Our new grand total is $41,773.05. That money will provide lots of toys for local families in need.

To donate to the 2010 campaign, mail checks to: The Santa Claus Fund Inc., P.O. Box 278, Brunswick, ME, 04011.

Thank you everybody. I will be back on Monday.