******************Important thread - please read - EVERYONE********************

[soapbox]

OK!

I'm distressed reading about those of you who are worried sick about Christmas and having no money to buy things for your children!

Rather than sit of my ample backside and do nothing I have the following proposal to make.

Those of you who have old toys/gifts which are in good condition, or who are willing to buy a new gift for a child can register your contributions with me.

Those of you who are down on your uppers can send me your details - name, address, age and gender of children, what kind of things they like!

Those lovely MN who will send me Christmassy things will be matched up with those people who would like a bit of a hand with Christmas.

Those giving pressies will wrap the pressie and label it 'To XXX from Santa', and then send it to the address given to them.

If people receiving presents want to remain anonymous then I can ask people to send their contributions to me, and I will forward them onto the gift receiver, I will bear the postage cost of the onwards posting!

If people want to help, but have no toys etc to do so, then a small amount on a gift voucher for woolies, argos or the like can be sent instead!

Please post on this thread whether you think it is a winger - if we get at least 10 givers and 10 receivers then I will go ahead with it, and will post my email address to start the ball rolling!

Receivors must be regular MNetters, in case we are deluged from other sites

So it is over to you guys - good idea or not???

Just got email from Soapy! To whoever nominated me I would like to say thank you very much! But I'm in a far better position than other Mumsnetters on here. We don't have lots to spend, but we don't need it here, we'll have a great time at Christmas and the kids are lucky to have an extended family they will be getting presents from too.

So thank you very much indeed! But I feel the nomination should go to someone more deserving than me!

Just received an email from Soapy! To whoever nominated me, thank you very much but we're ok really! We don't have lots of money it's true, but that isn't important to us and we do manage ok. The children are lucky to have an extended family so they will have lots of presents!

Thank you so much but I think I shall pass my nomination onto someone more deserving!

Whoops, sorry about that! PC playing up today and I didn't think that had gone!

Aww have had an email from soapy too and it is lovely to be nominated as we dont have much money etc but we were lucky this year that I got a maternity grant last week so was able to buy the DC a present. I am very grateful for having been nominated and yes we are skint but will only have to find money for the food/treat bits so its not as horrendous as we first thought.

Rhubarb, I think the gifts are going not only to people who are struggling to make ends meet, but to people who have had a hard year for whatever reason, and who we want to show our appreciation for, by means of a little extra something at Christmas time

That's how I understand it, anyway

Well that's lovely Franny, really really nice and I'm not normally a sentimental or emotional person but you lot just melted the heart of this miserable cow!

I've put in a nomination myself and offered my paltry fiver on my old Boots advantage card. Buying someone a little something with that makes me happy. Reading this thread makes me happy. Being able to meet some of you this Sat makes me happy.

Now bugger orf before I drop my Northern toughness and start blubbering like a Southerner!

I understood it as that too F&Z

Am looking forward to meeting you too, you old soft mare

For some people I guess a load of food vouchers would be great, was there a thread on the farepak hamper thing??

im confused... I email about giving, and got a CAT about being nominated for something? someone fill me in? Thanks! x

Awww Quootie - that means that someone thinks you are having a crappy time and they feel you deserve something

i just got an "nominee" email too and am incredibly touched.

thanks so much to the person who put me up.

things aren't great but as Rhubarb said, financially we shouldn't be too badly off and dd has extended family.

however, i'm honoured to have been nominated and as long as there isn't anyone more deserving i'd be delighted to receive something for dd.

i've also offered some items and nominated someone else so I'm really working this today!

again, thanks to Soapy and thanks to the lovely person who thougth of me, it really has touched my heart. i've only been here a few months.

PC666

I also have some boys clothes that I can give - some new with tags, some as new.

faerie mum
what age is your ds ?

awwwwwwwwwww, thanks! your all so lovely!

Am I right in thinking it was only the nominated people who got emails today?

It was nominated-people-who-soapy-doesn't-have-a-postal-address-for today...

so not nominated-by-themselves-as-they-are-a-bit-poor today?

there was definitely someone who lost their farepak money, does soapy know who she is? has that been taken care of?

Assuming you know your own postal address , no...

I think the Farepak threads were the first port of call for the keen nominators...

Just wanting to add that I can offer my time in terms of helping organise stuff - searching online shops that deliver for cheapy gifts or whatever. I don't know how you are doing it. Maybe that doesn't work as I'm a potential recipient?

Anyway, I'd like to help if I can.

Just a thought, but does anyone have any of the Daily Mail tokens for the 12 x Disney Classics PC Games ?
We could send off for those and distribute them....

Have mailed you, soapbox.

Okay - just back home - if I'm not careful Xenia will have to give me a lecture on Life/Work balance

So - isn't life wonderful?

Now it's not my place to get shirty as I am just the messenger - but, some people are seriously not playing the game, by depriving lots of people from playing Santa this year

If you have been nominated, then put simply, someone wants to send you something nice so please. please, please just humour them and play ball!

I will not intrude where help is not wanted - but please, if you will, for those of you who have turned down the offer of a gift, reconsider

Most of the posters who have responded offering help are keen that it goes wide rather than deep- so are keen for as many people as possible to get a little gift rather than a few to get loads!

Please trust me, there is plenty to go around!

So come on to those that have been nominated - just say YES

And truly, people have nominated for all sorts of reasons and it is most definitely not just those who are hard up!

And it is also Fess UP time

All the CATS I sent today - I forgot to get you to put your MN name on them - so I have a stack of emails back and for many of them I have no idea what your MN name is, so can't match you up to my list!

So please, if you can - send me your response again but this time include your MN name

I'm off for a glass of vino but you are all very much in my thoughts at the moment 24/7 as some of my collegues would say (puke emotion)!

It is proving to be hard to put down for me, really hard! Some of the requests for help, the stories behind the nominations and the real generousity of the givers will live with me for a very long time.

In truth I had no idea what I was taking on...

You really are the best- all of you

Love ya Soapy