Matthew 2:11 – When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and gave them to him.

Gratitude Day 788

Ask any kid what their favorite part of Christmas is, and most will answer, “The presents.” It’s simply the truth. Kids LOVE Christmas presents.

But what about those families who may not be able to provide presents for their kids? How about the kids who many not get a Christmas present? What happens in those families? How do parents or grandparents explain that Santa was not able to stop by and drop something off?

This is where Santas Without Chimneys steps in. They are our November non-profit organization for Our Monthly Resolution.

Every night, there are more than 1,000 children in the greater Madison area who do not have permanent shelter. These kids often worry whether Santa will visit them. Santas Without Chimneys helps bring awareness of poverty in southern Wisconsin along with delivers personalized Christmas gifts directly to the children in need. Those who volunteer agree it is a lot of fun to help out as well!

Santas Without Chimneys is an entirely volunteer-run nonprofit organization that works with schools and social workers in the Madison area to provide holiday gifts to homeless and highly mobile children. Wish lists are collected from the kids in need and each child receives a sack of gifts just for them!

In 2021, Santa’s wish list through Santas Without Chimneys says they provided gifts for 505 kids from 132 families for a total of 5,050 gifts!

Here’s a photo that shares what one child received.

We chose Santas Without Chimneys as our November organization because we’d like to help jump start their needs in November. In addition, there are lots of different ways that you can support this very worthwhile organization. Here’s how:

Donate online: http://santaswithoutchimneys.org/donate.html

Mail a donation: Santas Without Chimneys, Chaous Riddle, 2401 Whitlock Rd, Madison, WI  53719

Donate UNWRAPPED items: please go to their current wish list here: http://santaswithoutchimneys.org/donate.html

There are a number of locations around Dane County where donations can be dropped off.

If you would like to “adopt” a family and provide gifts for them, you can do so! Soon, individual families and their wishes will be posted online and you can select a family there. The link currently includes 2021 families but we are optimistic that this will be updated soon.

http://santaswithoutchimneys.org/2021.html

Volunteer: There are lots of volunteer opportunities! Here’s where you can share that you are interested in volunteering: http://santaswithoutchimneys.org/volunteer.html

Please indicate that you are part of Our Monthly Resolution.

We are very aware that not everyone who participates in Our Monthly Resolution lives in the Madison area. If you prefer, we encourage you to find a local organization that provides Christmas gifts to kids in your area! Our goal is to help every kid have something to open on Christmas morning!

We know that cost of everything this Christmas will be more. And appreciate that we all want to have the opportunity to celebrate with our own families. Please do! Any donation that you can make towards Santas Without Chimneys will make a difference and is greatly appreciated.

We give gifts at Christmas because the wise men showed up with gifts for Baby Jesus. This started a longstanding tradition of giving gifts at Christmas. As important as it is to not let gift-giving become the only focus of Christmas, it’s also a tradition that is so important. Let’s help those kids who do not have a permanent living situation this Christmas by helping provide them Christmas gifts. Throughout our married life, Hubby Rick and I have not exchanged Christmas gifts. Instead, we chose to buy kids for people who need something. There is absolutely nothing Hubby Rick and I need. That’s why we buy sleds and clothes and toys for kids who are in need and celebrate our gift giving this way. We invite you and another significant person in your life to do the same this Christmas. Give a gift that will make a difference this Christmas. Santas Without Chimneys is one option.

For the opportunity to help kids this Christmas, I am very grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Holy God – We are already beginning to think about Christmas and the gift giving. We appreciate the way the wise men showed up with gifts for Baby Jesus and how this has inspired gift giving over the years. We pray for families who will not have the resources to provide gifts for their children. May we choose to help be Santa’s to these families. Amen.

If this post touched you, I invite you to share it.