Need Help with Christmas Presents?

Can my children and I get help with Christmas presents this year?

Editor's Note: ThriftyFun does not give direct help to those in need. Please do NOT post requests for help. We encourage posts with ideas for those that need help.

Start Looking for Help Early

Because of tremendous need every year, start calling locally and looking for help as early as possible. Much of the help can be gone by Thanksgiving.

By ThriftyFun

Join a Freecycle Group in Your Area

You might wanna try http://www.freecycle.org in your area. And there is always the option of making things out of ordinary everyday items! I wish you all the best and good luck in getting everything back together again!

By Kayla

---

Please go to http://www.freecycle.orgWe have many people (in our area) giving away lots of Christmas items.I'm sure you could find one in your area too.

By suzanne

Organizations for Help with Christmas Presents

Anyone with a legitimate need for themselves, children, or the elderly should contact the Marine Corps Toys for Tots (items for kids 0-16 yrs); the Salvation Army; local Lions Clubs often adopt a needy family for the season; the Red Cross will offer help; many police departments adopt a family for the holidays; Social Service agencies, VFW's, and churches offer help. Use the phone book and your computer to look.

By Donna

Help with Christmas Presents

You can check with your local Church, Salvation Army, Local organizations, and police department. Sometimes these places help out during the holidays. You can check with Human Services also .These people know how you can get some help. May God Bless you All. Remember JESUS is the reason for the season.

By Pat Wilson

Churches and Clubs

Contact a church, any church, even if you are not a member they will help you or find someone who will help you. If you have a St. Vinnie's many of them have food pantries. If you have children in school contact the school principal and ask for any help they can give; when I worked at an elementary school the staff always had a fund to buy hats, boots, coats, and mittens for any children that needed them.

Many of the Lions Clubs have mitten trees, even local libraries sometimes have mitten trees. You will have to do some calling, but once the word gets out about your need you will be surprised at the help you will get from your own community.

By Paula

Simplify

I was in this situation years ago myself. My son was 4. We focused on giving to others one year, choosing toys and clothes of good quality that we passed along to another struggling family. We strung popcorn for the tree and made paper sack gingerbread men and had a simple dinner for Christmas. Those are memories we still hold very dear and we learned the spirit of Christmas that year.

By DonnaJBrooks

Make the Best of It

Thank you, DJBrooks, for sharing your ideas. I agree that by focusing on others it will take some of the attention from your own situation. I think baking cookies and sharing them with neighbors and friends is a good way to show your children "giving" to others even if you can't afford Christmas yourself. I remember one year that we had no Christmas; Dad was laid-off work and Mom was terribly sick with the flu. We kids got to decorate the house however we wanted! We were never allowed to do that before so we thought it was something special.

We didn't have a tree, but we hung up garland that was saved from the previous years and hung ornaments all over that. Dad baked cookies with us and that was extremely special to us because he never had baked cookies with us before! For Christmas dinner, Dad made biscuits, gravy and fried potatoes...breakfast for dinner! We thought it was great. That one Christmas made me realize that it isn't about what you want for Christmas, but what you already have.

By Paula

* * * TOYS FOR TOTS * * *

FREE CHRISTMAS GIFTS for kids

Sponsored by the US Marines, helps low income familles. They have a warehouse full of unwrapped gifts for kids that you can pick from.

Call either a Marine recruiter, The Salvation army, a food bank, or anywhere you'd get foodstamps & they will direct you to "TOYS FOR TOTS" or another program in your area.

Also for free gifts for kids that have parents in jail. Contact "Project Angel Tree" on the web for a local chapter, (a Christian organization started by Chuck Colson of Watergate fame)

Salvation Army and Make your own

There are a lot of organizations out there to help people in need, check with Salvation Army they do a Christmas program that gives out food baskets, and a toy program. Get a few new toys and a few gently used ones...Also there are some places that have angel trees where you can have your childs name put on it (salvation army does one too) schools can often help as well as your township supervisor, churches are great to contact and this site also has a lot of inexpensive things you can make or do.

There are many things you can do or make yourself for your children or family members. Cookie platters or gift jars are cheap to make and great to receive. Check local goodwills etc... For new and gently used items. Sometimes you even come upon brand new items there. Make homemade soaps, as well as homemade bath salts, etc. I for one appreciate homemade gifts so much more because thought and time is put into them.

By suzanne

Help with Christmas Presents

Call 2-1-1 in your state they can refer you to someone that my be assisting with toys for tots or angel tree.