Ho, Ho, Woe

In another sign of the times, some children sadly are now asking Santa to get Daddy a job or money for Mommy to buy the house back.

From MSNBC...

The slumping economy has families across the nation facing one of their toughest Christmases in years. That means Santa Claus is hearing more than simple requests for a new Nintendo Wii or Elmo Live.

"You see things behind the beard that nobody else will ever see or hear. I've had children just literally tear my heart out," said Jackson, who is pulling on his red suit for a 19th season of playing Santa.

Several times already this season, Joe Jackson has been asked to get Daddy a job or Mommy money to buy the house back. Santa is getting some heart-wrenching letters at the North Pole, too. "They're not asking for a Wii or an Xbox. They're asking for personal care items, they're asking for school supplies, they're asking for warm clothing," Griffitts said.

Last year, for part of my family, we did a secret Santa exchange. We're continuing that again this Christmas but with a twist.

A tough economy leads to lower donations to charities just at the time when they are most needed as indicated in this NPR segment...

As such, this Christmas we are doing a secret Santa exchange but the "gift" will be a charitable donation to an organization that the gift recipient would like and support.

Hopefully. Christmas for some will be a bit merrier.

If you'd like to donate to a foodbank, click here.