Christmas is a wonderful time of year, and it probably holds many special memories for most of us and our families. My mom always made sure the house was decorated for the holidays with Christmas stuff in every room, and her western tree is a real conversation piece, trust me. Baking butter cookies that you cut out and decorate is still one of my holiday favorites. I still remember my daughter helping me and actually using tweezers to place the sprinkles in their precise places on the cookies she decorated. As a kid the presents were probably my favorite part of Christmas. We would shake the packages for days trying to guess what was in each one. I actually got very good at unwrapping them and rewrapping them without my parents knowing. When I got a little older, I loved making things for my family. I would work for weeks stitching and sewing, and I discovered how much fun it is to give gifts.

These are difficult times, and the reality for some of our neighbors and single moms is they won’t be celebrating Christmas with presents this year. It’s sad to think about kids waking up on Christmas morning without a single present to open and the parents who find themselves unable to do anything about it. The families and small groups at CCC are making sure these families have some gifts under the tree by adopting a family for Christmas. We are working together with our community partners to purchase and deliver gifts to the families who need them the most.

Let me encourage you to sign up for a family and help make some Christmas memories for someone. You can sign up on Sunday in the lobby at CCC, or you can email me leighann@communitycc.net. We’ll get back to you with a family’s Christmas list no later than December 6. There isn’t a set dollar amount – just do what you can. A few small gifts can make a big difference.

Leigh Ann Hawkey