No tears on Christmas Day

The turkey's a skeleton fondly remembered.

The holiday parade, fireworks and lighting ceremony linger in your memory, where they're savored like good leftovers.

OK, everything's not perfect. Your feet and lower back testify that shopping the past couple days has taken a toll on body as well as bank account. So now what?

Now we draw your attention away from your immediate family and toward the larger family around you. They need you, too.

Press Christmas for All is a holiday charity now in its 25th year. Managed by volunteers from The Hagadone Corp., the Coeur d'Alene Press and Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, it's a 501 (c) 3 that donates every single penny raised to Kootenai County families in need.

This year we've set a goal of raising $200,000. With requests for help estimated to come from 10,000 or more Kootenai County citizens, even reaching our goal would provide a fairly humble $20 in gift cards for every recipient. But when times are this tough, we know gifts of any size will be vastly appreciated by those who otherwise would go without anything on Christmas Day - no presents for the children and no meal for the family.

Please, let's work together to ensure that doesn't happen to anybody. Not in our county; not on our watch.

Here's what you can do:

Send us a check for whatever you can afford. In years past we've had businesses step up to the plate with many thousands of dollars. We've had families forego Christmas presents for themselves, instead donating that money to Press Christmas for All. We've had people literally give their last $5 to the program, knowing someone out there needs it even more than they do.

If you've been helped by Press Christmas for All in the past, please send us a note about that. Sharing your story with others will inspire them.

Please send your checks and notes to:

Press Christmas for All

201 Second St.

Coeur d'Alene, ID. 83814

Raising $200,000 in less than a month is a pretty steep hill to climb. Fortunately, we're surrounded by some of the finest mountain climbers on the planet.