'Tots' drive continues to help kids

There are, after all, 12 days to Christmas.

Twelve days means there are more days to celebrate the goodness of the world, more days to remember what’s really important in life, more days, well, to celebrate Christmas. According to whychristmas.com, the 12 Days of Christmas have been around since before the Middle Ages.

Beginning on Christmas Day, the website notes that the 12 days continue until Jan. 5, also known as the Twelfth Night. A time of celebration, the 12 days each mark a feast day for a saint and/or have different celebrations.

The days are, the website, explains:

Day 1 (Dec. 25) — Christmas Day celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

Day 2 (Dec. 26) — St. Stephen’s Day celebrates the first Christian martyr.

Day 3 (Dec. 27) — The day pays tribute to St. John the Apostle.

Day 4 (Dec. 28) — The Feast of the Holy Innocents is a day when people remember the baby boys killed when King Herod was trying to find and kill the infant Jesus.

Day 5 (Dec. 29) — St. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century, who was killed in 1170 for challenging the king’s authority over the church.

Day 6 (Dec. 30) — The day pays tribute to St. Egwin of Worcester.

Day 7 (Dec. 31) — The day honors Pope Sylvester I, one of the earliest popes (in the 4th century).

Day 8 (Jan. 1) — The day honors Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Day 9 (Jan. 2) — The day honors St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, two important 4th century Christians.

Day 10 (Jan. 3) — Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus recalls when Jesus was officially “named” in the Jewish temple.

Day 11 (Jan. 4) — St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Day 12 (Jan. 5, also known as Epiphany Eve) — The day pays tribute to St. John Neumann, who was the first Bishop in America.

Whether you are a person of faith or not, having more days to practice the spirit of Christmas has to be a good thing. Kick back and as Christmas nears on the horizon, hunker down to enjoy the holiday not just this week but into the weeks ahead (And, if you want to keep going past the 12 days, I say go for it — and I may just join you).

To help the Lions raise the needed funds to ensure Christmas is merry for all the community’s youth, we’re going to keep the drive going through New Year’s Eve.

The drive sits at $45,974.03. The goal for this year’s campaign is $50,000 — the same as it has been in past years.

The Toys for Tots program provides free new toys for children living in the Lake Pend Oreille School District, from Sandpoint to Clark Fork and all points between.

The Lions make the most of the money by shopping bargains, and with the assistance of generous local businesses.

Donations for Toys for Tots can be dropped off at the front desk at the Bonner County Daily Bee, 310 Church St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can also drop off donations at Columbia Bank’s Sandpoint branch, 414 Church St., or at the Ponderay branch, 300 Bonner Mall Way; the Ponderay Starbucks, and the Ponderay Mountain West Bank.

Donations may be mailed to the Sandpoint Lions Club, Box 414, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

Donations made by check are preferred. Be sure to include a note with your check indicating that it is a Toys for Tots donation. If you wish to make an anonymous donation, please include a note.

If the donation is being made in someone’s name, be sure to also include a note.

Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118