December!

First of all, after falling over 10,000 words behind, I miraculously managed to pull through and complete NaNoWriMo by the skin of my teeth. (Sickening phrase)
50,002 words y'all.
But... we were on the road all day, moving to Utah, and I didn't actually get to get online and update it!
I'm okay with it though. I think you'll believe me when you see the book come out.
=]

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Yay, it's December! 

This month I'll be putting up my little pregnant snow(wo)man ornament, releasing the second installment of the Princess Shannon series, baking up a storm, learning my way around a new town and seeing sweet little George or Georgina in our 20-week ultrasound, among other things.

My friend Steffani had a pretty awesome suggestion for December, a little round-up of Christmasy special causes for you to choose from! I love that idea, especially since I prefer to focus on more than one in December and don't always have the money to do so! 

Food Banks- Food banks are a great, easy way to contribute. I bet if you go through your pantry right now you'll find a few cans of food you don't like. I know I have some. I can't stand corn, don't feel good when I eat corn, never make corn. And yet there it sits, smugly, defiantly taking up space in my tiny cabinets. Adios, corn.

Toys for Tots- This is another favorite. I am a little hesitant about giving actual cash a lot of the time, especially to larger charities whose head honchos sometimes make an obscene amount (cough, Red Cross, cough). I love being able to pick out a toy and put it on the pile in the mall. I know without a doubt my contribution will actually be a toy given to a child.  

Christmas Tree Angel- In the past, I've usually seen these trees in Walmart or the mall. I love to do these but don't always have the money for them. This year I joined Deanna in her awesome Operation Delirious Angel project. If you made a donation of any amount you'd automatically become a sponsor on her blog for the month, and she'd also put the entire amount towards a Christmas Tree Angel. The best part, she'll be matching the amount she received up to $75. If she got $100 in donations, that would mean $175 towards the child. I bet if you ask nicely she'll still let you contribute!

Coat drives- I almost always see local coat drives in the towns we live in. We do always live in towns where snow is prevalent but I'm sure some warmer towns will host these too. You simply pick up a new winter coat and drop it off for a kiddo who might have gone all winter without one otherwise. One year I zipped a $5 gift card into a pocket too.

Volunteer- if you just have no money to spare, consider giving of yourself. Volunteer to ring the Salvation Army donation bell for an hour. Dress up as an elf and read a Christmas story at a local children's hopsital. Serve cookies and cocoa at a nearby nursing home's Christmas party. Take on a short shift at the soup kitchen on Christmas or Christmas Eve.

Ryan and I love the idea of making volunteer work a family tradition on Christmas. 

No matter where in the world we happen to be on December 25th, we'll always be able to find a way to help.

We haven't decided which way(s) we want to volunteer yet this year, but I'm excited to test the waters and see how I think it'll work with a seven-month-old strapped to my chest the next year!

Do you have any other favorite ways to donate/help out at Christmastime?

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