Four Feet More

For the past two years, packages for the kids have been left on our doorstep on Christmas Day from the "Secret Santa." This Secret Santa gets them small gifts, but they are things that the kids love. Junie B. Jones books, journals, writing notepads and pens (my kids LOVE note pads - they are either writing stories or taking our orders for dinner like little waiters). It's a thoughtful gesture that brings some unexpexcted joy on Christmas Day.

The thing is, neither Jeff nor I have any idea who the Secret Santa is. We had some ideas last year, but both those people delivered gifts for the kids in person before Christmas. It's hard to imagine that they would come back on Christmas Day with a second set of gifts for which they took no credit. Also, the Secret Santa spells Eamon's name right, so it probably isn't one of the neighbors. Most people spell Eamon's name "Amen" or "Amon" unless they have had the occasion to see it in writing (which our neighbors haven't, really). And since the Secret Santa gives gifts to "Victoria" instead of "Vika," I think he/she is probably not someone I work with or whose kids play with ours.

It's a mystery. I would love to be able to thank the Secret Santa for his/her thoughtfulness, but since I have no idea who it is, I can't! However, I don't think our appreciation is what they're after. It seems for someone out there, just knowing that they gave a little surprise to a couple of kids on Christmas Day is enough.

Merry Christmas Secret Santa. I hope your holiday brought some unexpected surprises as well.

Each year, Elle's Sweet Hope organization holds a fundraiser to help orphans worldwide. Elle makes up batches and batches of truffles - in a variety of flavors - and proceeds from the sales go directly to orphanages across the globe. This year she's added caramels to her list of gourmet candies, and this year I am serving as a volunteer sales person.

I have a whole box of samples to give people a taste of just how good these truffles really are. I'm also practicing a tremendous amount of restraint in not eating the whole lot myself! Because I've done that before. But it's OK because I'm eating chocolate for a good cause, right? Well, you can too. If you're someone I see in real life, feel free to ask for a sample. If not then, please click on the Sweet Hope image above to get to the website, where you can purchase a box of truffles for your family. The candy will be on sale from November 9-27th, and will ship out on December 16th, just in time for the holidays.

Please help us make life a little sweeter for children living in orphanages all over the world.

As anyone who's ever adopted internationally knows, it can get pretty expensive. Also, if you've visited an orphanage in another country, you have seen the great need of the children living in those facilities. After adopting her own son from Russia, Elle decided to give back by starting Sweet Hope. Every year she makes awesome truffles, which she then sells and donates the proceeds to an adoption-related cause. In the past, she's donated funds to pre-adoptive families who were having difficulty covering their adoption expenses, and last year she put the money toward buying Christmas gifts for children living at an orphanage in Khabarovsk, Russia.

This year, Elle is thinking bigger, and she needs help. Her plan is to do a benefit concert to raise even more funds to donate to orphanages in Russia this Christmas. You can read more about her plans here: Then I go and Get All Super Crazy.

If you would like to help in any way, Elle could use your assistance. It is a truly great cause. Neither Vika nor Eamon had ever received a present before they joined our family (their first full day home was actually Christmas day, and that must have been quite a shock!). Gifts such as warm clothing, books, games and toys are desperately needed in Russian orphanages, and showing the children that someone outside of the orphanage cares for them is a wonderful gift too. Perhaps you can help make Christmas a little brighter this year for a child in need?

Usually, I ignore requests from third parties to publicize their organization or product on my blog. However, this time I was contacted by an agency I might actually want to help, if I lived in the right geographical location. So I have decided to give them a little space on this blog in case others out there would be interested in helping as well.*

The Fresh Air Fund, a non-profit agency, is looking for volunteers to serve as a host families for inner-city children this summer. They are particularly in need of host families for August. The goal of the Fresh Air Fund is to provide summer vacation experiences for children from low-income communities in New York City. These are children who otherwise might not be able to have the experience of lazing around by a lake-shore, playing on the beach, or taking a trek through the woods. If you are interested (and live in New England or Virigina), please check out their website here.

* I am not receiving any payment to advertise this agency. Just in case you were wondering.