Growing up I always looked forward to Christmas Day.

I would start my letters to Santa around July, telling him how good I had been and all the toys I could possibly dream of.

I could not wait until the great day in October, when the Sears Christmas catalog would come to our mailbox.

My sister and I would have a &uot;knock-down drag-out&uot; to see who could get to it first.

We would circle and write our names on just about every item in the book.

I would be up on Christmas day before the sun was up; making all the noise I possibly could to wake everyone else in the house up.

My parents would say, &uot;Just sleep for another hour please, its only 3 am&uot;.

I want to make sure every child has special memories, such as these.

In March I moved to Ahoskie from Michigan.

The transition for the most part has been easy; everyone I have met has shown me true southern hospitality.

I have seen the community come together to help each other after the hurricane, everyone suffered hardship, but gave what they could.

Families in the area are still recovering from their losses and struggling day to day.

Let’s come together again to spread Christmas cheer.

Christmas is only a few weeks away.

There are children in our area that will not experience the joys of waking up on Christmas day to a tree with presents underneath.

The News Herald has teamed up with the Department of Social Services in Northampton, Hertford and Bertie counties to bring the spirit of Christmas to the children of the area.

Bring in a new unwrapped toy to the News Herald office in Ahoskie or Jackson by December 15 and you will receive 25% off our regular subscription rates.

Please help us make this Christmas a special day for every child in our area.