The Mrs Claus Affair

Christmas 2011. My girlfriend and I sat with our families around the dining room table gazing at the what remained of a perfectly fabulous holiday feast. Everything about Christmas had been fantastically memorable; from the nativity skit starring our children to the frantic last minute gift wrapping after tuck-ins. The entire holiday was almost perfect. Almost. We had invited one of our girlfriends to join us for Christmas dinner since she was not only newly wed, but her husband was newly deployed and both their families were an ocean away. "So what did your hubby get you this year?" I asked in my best I'm-nosier-than-you-are tone. "Nothing," she replied. Wait, what? "What do you mean nothing?" "Actually I did get a package from him in the mail this week but it was something he'd bought himself and had shipped home..." What could we say to that? This story has been repeated hundreds of times all over the world by wives of service men deployed for the holidays. Deployments are hard enough on a man. Throw in Christmas and shopping (which most men hate) with hundreds or thousands of miles separating them from malls and families and what is the final Christmas result? A nice phone call. Not a purse or a Kitchen Aid, no massage or two months worth of housekeeping. Men who are fighting for our freedom don't always have the time to make sure Santa remembers the sherpa lined boots or the Brighton charm bracelet. That's where we come in. The Mrs. Claus Affair is dedicated to taking care of the wives of deployed service men during the holidays. We're not out to cure breast cancer (although that would be kind of awesome) or build houses for the homeless, and we don't want to save the world. But we do want to make sure that we teach our children the importance of serving others, especially mothers and wives who are hoofing it alone and, in many cases, have been overlooked. Our goal is to raise enough money through donations and fundraisers to make Christmas something special for some of the women in our local community. We don't need to save everyone, but we'd like to make a real difference this Christmas for somebody. We want women to have something to open on Christmas morning. We want them to feel remembered. Through nominations we're hoping to find a list of women to bring together and celebrate with this Christmas. Not through mass bulk gift giving, but something with a more personal touch. We're more devoted to the experience than the numbers. And if you don't live in our area and want to participate, join our movement by locating a wife in your area and get her a gift to open on Christmas morning. Just sign it, "The Mrs. Claus Affair" and send us a letter telling us about your experience. Anyone can be involved. If you would like to donate or participate in one of our local fundraisers, or if have someone to nominate, please contact us at themrsclausaffair@gmail.com.

You can also vist TheMrsClausAffair.blogspot.com to donate!!