TIS THE SEASON

Doug and I had been wanting to participate in a Christmas charity for quite some time now and this was the perfect year to make it happen!  We have been so incredibly blessed this year with the birth of our sweet Lucas and feel so fortunate to have our health and family and friends that we couldn't possibly ask for anything more. With the economy the way it is we realize there are far too many families in need and that those families would not be able to provide any Christmas gifts for their children this year. And although we all know that Christmas is not about how many or what type of gifts you receive, we also know that as a child, this is a BIG part of enjoying Christmas morning and a sure-fire way to put a smile on a kids face.

So instead of buying gifts for eachother, Lucas and our family, we took the money we would have spent and adopted a family through St. Vincent de Paul. Collectively we actually adopted three families since several of our family members jumped on board at the idea of giving to those that actually NEED it. Since we were not giving gifts to family members, we asked that they do the same and donate any gifts that were meant for us (everyone followed the rules except for the Grandmas!! LOL Go figure.  They couldn't resist buying a little something for Lou on his first Christmas).

We had the priviledge to adopt the Vella Family which consists of a single mother and her four young children (Todd, Kala, Jade and Jaydyn).  I always love buying gifts for other people but this time it was soooo much better. And there are no words to describe the feeling that came with delivering the gifts to the family the week before Christmas. Accompanied by my sister-in-law, Mindy and mother-in-law, Karen, we placed each gift under their bare tree and delivered all the ingredients for a wonderful Christmas dinner. It was AMAZING.  Definitely something we will continue to do, and hopefully not just for Christmas.

The Vella Family Gifts..