it seems taht most have forgotten the meaning of why we celebrate this holiday everyone is so worried about the economy but seems to forget about celebrating the birth of our savior and lord jesus christ we need to stop worrying about money and time to shop and finding that purfect gift and spend more time praying and thaking our lord for all he"s done 4 us its fine to buy gifts for family and freinds and think about what they like just dont put more emphasis on taht than the true meaning of christmas. take time to think WWJD? thanks for reading this JH1

I sat at the angel tree and was just going to put my time in. I looked at the tree for two hours and felt guilty if i didnt pick something. I picked a 6 year old girl that wants a special comforter. Now I would like sheets to go withh too and cannot decide which. to match comforter same character i mean. or solid color to last longer- she may get sick of color, or polka dot pink that would match, or flannel for winter cause house may not be so warm. or flannel polka dot. so many decisions.I think polka dot flannel.

This comment is to nurse4u. I am sorry to hear what happened to your family. Both of my daughters were in Childrens Hospital too, it was really hard on us as well. My brother also spent a large amount of time there 15 years ago. My mom didn't have much money while my 2 sisters, my brother and I were growing up;so we never got very much. My mother did everything she could to give us Christmas, but now that I am older...it never bothered me that we didn't always get everything but she did her best and that is what matters. I would like to teach my daughters not to be so materialistic. I think that is the root of all evils. It shouldn't be about what a person has, it should be about who that person is without all the extra stuff. Stuff does not affect how people care about other people, how nice a person is, or make them any better of a person in any way. I wish you the best of luck and your children will understand.

About the same as last year. No big changes in my economy.

Im sorry for the video game comment.Wasnt trying to offend anyone here! I was brought up to play outside(ya know ,activity)And reading and using ones imagination! I have never under stood how anyone can sit for hours on end in front of some screen pushing buttons and never moving more than just a finger or two. I also cannot understand how my kids can even contemplate being bored.They have every game system,game to go with it,computer and games, and toys and books....I could go on! It makes me sad that my kids are this way! I thought I was doing good by making sure they never went without,but I went too far!

dub190, maybe kids should play the same video games that Bill Gates played, like Pong.

dub190,

I wouldn't have used Bill Gates and building hand/eye coordination in the same thought. That is definitely contradicting.

Video games are just another form of media.. just like music, movies, and books. Some are great, some are just junk, and yes - some aren't for children. Did you know the average video gamer is 33 years old?

Dub... good comment. 4 to 1 sounds like a good ratio to me, too. I'd rather have a kid playing video games than standing on the street corner, bored... What's the phrase? " An idle man's brain is the devil's workshop - John Bunyan "

Some of the video games are actually educational (I know; them of them are moronic and/or violent). Just like life, right?

Bill Gates played video games...They help develop great hand eye coordination, and some help youngsters learn. I say they are alright if on a ratio of exercise, of 4:1. But the new ones sure are expensive.

I had planned on buying my four kids great gifts because I just graduatd and becme an RN and last year we stayed at Children's Hospital ICU for my daughter who had her 5th open heart surgery. I wanted to make Christmas up to them. Well, I fell down the stairs and had to have surgery on my neck and now I am out of work for about 12 weeks. It could have been worse. I could have died, but at least we are all together at Christmas this year. Family is important, not how much you spend.
THANK YOU ECHO FOR HELPING US OUT THIS CHRISTMAS so my children have a few gifts under the tree. You are truly a wonderful organization and an assest to our community!
Angelwings, God bless you..

Dont know about anyone else but,I have 4 kids.Will always spend the same but gifts are more scarce.The older they get, the more expensive they get so instead of 5 gifts they get 2.No teenager wants socks or clothes,they want stuff to rot their brains with,such as video games.(thats just my opinion of video games)

hannah- That was for charitable giving. This is holiday shopping.

didnt we already have this poll???

here is my idea. spend more, build more school gyms, buy all the foreign cars you can fit in your drive way, which you can plow with your foreign built snow blower, now that gas price is down, start driving with abandon, ramp up your addictive side by gambling more often and with bigger bets, drink and smoke more, (health be damned). there is more but space and the tedious nature of this comment prevent me from expanding. the point is there if in fact, there is any point in these comments to begin with.