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Call me Scrooge. Bah. Humbug!

The ‘THANKS’ of Thanksgiving makes it my favorite winter holiday. Christmas has become overwhelming for me. I am not a shopper and the message of the season can be hidden by increased commercialization. So why am I blogging about Christmas in mid-November?

There is one thing that sparks my latent shopping gene into high gear every year. Its not my 3 year old daughter. Last year Santa brought her 3 or 4 gifts and they arrived long after December 25th. Santa came to our house on Ukrainian Christmas, a concept that my own family finds confusing. But that is another story.

My desire to enter the retail rat race each November is inspired by the Old Newsboy’s Goodfellow Fund. The Old Newsboys’ Goodfellow Fund of Detroit was founded in 1914 to ensure that there is “No Kiddie Without a Christmas.” Each holiday season the Detroit Goodfellows distribute holiday gift boxes to children ages five through 13. Each child receives warm clothing, toys, books, games and candy. As a child, I remember when our family filled huge boxes with gifts for the families we were helping. Though we never met those families, it seemed so very personal.

For more years than anyone can recall, SKBK Sotheby’s International has been been helping the Goodfellows by stuffing a van with Christmas gifts for children in need. Over the next few weeks, our conference room will start becoming less and less comfortable as it is overtaken by bicycles with bows on them, hand-held games and lots of beautifully wrapped toys and clothes. I really do love thinking about those kids having something nice to open on Christmas. I am filled with hope for those kids as I go store to store looking for the right gifts.

For those of you who are shoppers, think of tackling the Goodfellows 2006 shopping list. Overwhelming. But for me, the Goodfellows are one of my favorite Christmas rituals. I get far more from them than I could ever give.

What are you looking forward to this holiday season?

Old Newsboys’ Goodfellow Fund of Detroit 2006 Shopping List

• 36,000 pairs of jeans
• 36,000 sweatshirts (10,000 bearing college logos)
• 36,000 packages of candy
• 36,000 boys winter hats
• 144,000 age appropriate books
• 102,600 pairs of girls underwear
• 107,400 pairs of boys socks
• 60,000 pairs of boys briefs
• 74,400 pairs of girls socks
• 36,000 toothbrush/toothpaste kits
• 23,700 pairs of boys boxers
• 13,100 pairs of girls gloves
• 11,400 Lego toys
• 8,000 pairs of boys and girls mittens
• 10,200 pairs of boys gloves
• 9,900 girls winter hats
• 9,400 pairs of girls “butter” socks
• 7,200 girls winter headbands
• 10,608 animal rulers
• 19,400 calculator & pen sets
• 3,500 colored pencil sets
• 2,400 flash cards
• 7,700 flashing pyramid balls
• 2,400 boxes of jumbo crayons
• 2,500 math sets
• 10,300 pedometers
• 2,400 Rescue Team play sets
• 2,304 Smile Cube puzzles
• 5,600 Twister crayons (8 packs)
• 5,600 wipe-off flash card sets
• 2,000 girls diaries
• 1,200 Hair clips
• 5,900 Jump ropes with counter
• 1,200 4 packs of Kids dough
• 4,500 Pen/pencil combos
• 6,900 Pink Laser Diaries
• 4,000 Clickits
• 2,400 Bionicles
• 3,300 Lego Racers

If you would like to help the Goodfellows this year, you can drop off any new toys or clothes at our office before December 1.  We will make sure they get to the right place.  You’ll find us at 348 E. Maple in Birmingham.

Technorati Tags: christmas, goodfellows, metro detroit, giving

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Written by Maureen Francis
SKBK Sotheby's International Realty, 248.430.4450
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