As a child, I remember both of my parents being laid off right before Christmas. As you can imagine, this caused a huge financial burden for my family at Christmas time. Although Christmas is not about presents, you can image how disappointing it is for a child who doesn't quite understand.
During that season I remember an organization that offered Christmas Stockings to all of the children of parents who were laid off from a very large company. I walked into the Tulsa Expo Center, displaying hundreds of stockings just for US! They were filled with fruit, candy, toys and of course a candy cane. Then and now, I am grateful for those that made a way for the children to have "something" for Christmas during such hard times for the families. 40 years later, that memory has made a lasting impression of God's goodness.
The hope is to bring a smile to a child's face, not only for a moment, but to show them the hands of Jesus for a lifetime.