We have much to be thankful for here at the Moss household.  Everyone is healthy, we are all very busy, and The Santa Club Book reviews are wonderful (TYG).  With life being a struggle for so many, we know how blessed we are and thank God every day.

Joe and I grew up in middle class families were money was not always there and times were sometimes tough.  We know what it was like to not have certain things and even in our blessings, we choose to never forget.  That is why The Santa Club is so important.  It is all about, the gift of giving and a way to give back.

We believe that material things are not important, that giving is.  Every day we try to give in some way.  Not every gift has to be monetary, but if we have extra money, we give it back to those that need it.  Saying that where and who needs it more?  As I have gotten older, I realize it is not about the need someone has, there is always need.  It is about giving where you are led to give.  When you give where you feel led to give then you have a vested interest. Everyone has a different “calling” to give in different places for different needs.  In our house I love to support missionaries, orphans and families fighting cancer.  Joe has a special place in his heart for the homeless, Jonathan thinks the Make- A- Wish Foundation, www.wish.org,  is the coolest, Jameson loves to support the Tug McGraw Foundation, www.tugmcgraw.org , and Alena wants to help everyone!  As a parent, that is the greatest gift you can give your child….letting them decide where they should give.  Just as we sometimes guide our children into things we love, we can also guide them into giving where we feel led to give.  A long time ago, we realized that our kids are individuals who have different desires and different callings on where they need to put their time, talents, and treasures.

So this Christmas our goal is to help families find an organization that fits their kids.  As we go on through the season we shall try and send information your way about organizations that are doing amazing work.  Most have stores to buy support products, some will need volunteers and even if your child just writes them a letter saying thanks for helping others, they will be able to give back.  In our family we give to many different charities and not all is giving through treasures.    We can give in many ways so this is not about money.  But as for our giving to each other, we do try to give with a purpose.  Since we are all t-shirt lovers, we give each other or family members t-shirts that help a charity.  The website sevenly.org, www.sevenly.org, is one of our favorite websites to find out about amazing charities and support them.  Every week they have a new charity that they sell t-shirts for.  Since t-shirts are cool and my kids love them, we support each charity by splurging on a t-shirt from Sevenly.

We also love hats.  Krochet Kids International, www.krochetkids.org  is an amazing charity that teaches woman to crochet in Uganda and now Peru.  The wonderful hats they make are then sold thru Krochet Kids with the proceeds going back to the women.   These are great places for your kids to buy someone in the family a “Santa” gift while learning about giving back.  As the time goes on both on Facebook and on my blog we shall link more and more charities that need support. Our prayer is that your child, with your support, will start to think about which charity they feel led to help.

Also by November 1^st we shall have merchandise on our website ready to sell.  It will be fun merchandise with our logo for families to share.  11% gross of every product will go to charities like Krochet kids and the ones you see on Sevenly.  Our goal is to take the blessings we have and pass them on while spreading the message of The Santa Club Book.  We know that there are amazing charities and instead of starting another one we hope to funnel any blessings we have right back to them.

The Story of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, is all about giving.  God calls us all to do different things in our life so not all of us can be missionaries working in a charity. But we can all give back and what a wonderful time to do it during the Christmas Season. Thanks for checking out my blog and for checking out our site.  As we grow we pray we can be a blessing to you all as we have been blessed.  Merry Christmas Everyone and God Bless.

Kelly

P.S.  Please see some amazing charities below.  If it says parents check first it means the charity may be easiest explained to older children.  If you have any charities you would like us to list please email me at kelly@thesantaclub.net

MERCY SHIPS- Provide surgeries and medical care to the people of Sierra Leone-  www.mercyships.org

WORLD RELIEF- Provide peace building and protection from violence for the people of the Congo. (Parents check first)     http://worldrelief.org 

HOPE INTERNATIONAL- Provides opportunity for a family in Africa to escape poverty.    www.hopeinternational.org

LIVING WATER INTERNATIONAL- Provides clean water for families.   www.water.cc

FREE WHEELCHAIR MISSION- Provides a new, free wheelchair to someone in a developing country.  www.freewheelchairmission.org

OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL- Provides Micro-Loans to poor families in Sub-Saharan Africa. www.opportunity.org