Glassman: Be An Undercover Santa
How to be an Undercover Santa with limited (or lots of) ca$h, or time!
Some tips from Sharon Glassman, author of "Love, Santa: A Different Kind of Christmas Story"
Over the last seven years, I've known of only two people who haven't taken home one of the post office's "Operation Santa Claus" letters from kids and families in need at one of my LOVE, SANTA holiday parties…One was an ex-boyfriend who called me a year later to apologize for being such a total loser. The other was a total loser.
Fortunately, for every one Scrooge, there are thousands of undercover Santas who embrace the joys of anonymous giving and that's a particularly important thing this year, as Operation Santa Claus expects a record number of letters asking us to help kids who might otherwise receive nothing for Christmas.
Here's how you can become an undercover Santa, no matter how tight your time or your budget may be!
On only $10
An actress I met at a LOVE, SANTA party teamed up with five equally cash-strapped friends to answer one Operation Santa Claus letter together. Each donated $10, which was enough to buy their child a toy, some clothes, a book, and create a super-creative note from Santa and his elves. Not only did this gift make the most out of the friends' limited budget, it offered them a caring and affordable way to "give" each other a heartwarming holiday gift while helping a child in need.
Creative Santa tip: It's not your money that counts in undercover Santa-ing, it's what's in your heart.
10 minutes
Got more cash than time? Let the internet be your sleigh! Purchase gift certificates for toys, clothes, books for mothers who write to Operation Santa Claus for help. (Remember to give the mother on the end the gift of time as well, by sending your gift as early possible so she has more time to shop for her kids!)
Time-crunched Santa tip: Look for a way to include a heartfelt note with your e-gift - I've heard time and time again from Operation Santa Claus that knowing someone cares is as valuable as the gift itself.
$50
LOVE, SANTA's favorite word in this category: SALE. Kids who write to Operation Santa Claus invariably need warm clothing (at least in Northern climes). Work the sales racks and you'll not only find stuff hip enough to make your kid believe in Santa, you can stretch your Santa dollars far enough to afford a small gift for your child's guardian, as well as a book and/or toy, art supplies, etc. at a shop nearby.
Savvy Santa tip: Some Santa-parents expand their gift by including gently used clothes from their own kids, washed, ironed and elegantly wrapped, as well as toys that still look new.
50 minutes
You can shop for your Operation Santa Claus kids during a lunch hour. If you're the kind of person who makes lists, checks them twice — and is willing to improvise as time runs short!
Speedy Santa tip: Remember to write down your child's information and leave it at your home or office in case you misplace your letter during your shopping whirlwind. Trust me: it happens!
With multiple wallets
Companies can answer letters from an entire classroom of Operation Santa Claus kids. It's a great, much-needed and extremely beneficial way to make sure that children in greatest need will have a happier holiday season. Contact Operation Santa Claus in New York City at 212-967-8585 to find out how your corporation or organization can become Santa to a group of children in need. Don't have time to shop? Cash donated to Operation Santa Claus pays for a holiday party held in Manhattan for classrooms of the city's neediest kids.
Team Santa tip: Operation Santa Claus suggests sending a similar gift to all boys, and another to every girl, to make shopping easier. Does your company create in-house items, T-shirts, baseball caps, that you can add to expand each gift that much more?
Do you have a lot of time?
Great! Operation Santa Claus depends on the organizational skills of CEEs "Chief Executive Elves" who lead their company or group's effort to answer letters from classrooms of children in need. One top-level banking executive, I've heard, actually leaves her job during the month of December to donate her full time and attention to organizing her staff's Operation Santa Claus effort. Talk about valuable gifts!
Timely Santa tip: One CEE can help dozens of children. Which makes you think: What if we could find a hundred CEEs to work with Santas nationwide like this? Or a thousand???????????