by Sexy Tabby
When the post first came onto Eden Fantasys Forum calling for members to be a part of Eden Gives Back, I was really impressed. Every year I usually give to local foster children because I truly believe every child should be given the opportunity to know Christmas with all the splendor and the magic that it represents. As an adult with three children of my own, I understand a parents need to see our children smile during the hardest of times. Those smiles are our future and we should have the opportunity to nourish them as often as possible. The Eden Gives Back Program has done just that and I am honored to be a part of it.

After getting the okay to be a representative of Eden Community in the program I went to our local Department of Social Services and asked for a family to adopt for Christmas. I was surprised they had so many in my area. Over 300 submissions within 20 miles of my location. They asked what kind of family I was looking for and the only answer I had was one with children that would honestly benefit from our efforts. I was given four families to choose from. That was horrible. I felt like a beast because I was turning away other children that needed someone to care for them as well. But the choice was made and our Second Christmas Family decided; a loving family of nine.

When I accepted the family I knew they had been displaced and were being housed by the state. Both parents were working but they were still struggling to get back on their feet. After talking with the Mother I found out they were in a home too small and desperately waiting for their own home, which wouldn’t be rebuilt until February. Out of seven children there were three boys that were sharing a twin size bed. This was disrupting the older boy’s performance in school and leading to issues that simply weren’t necessary. The mother said they needed many things, and that her family and the state had helped replenish their winter clothes, food and most basic needs. Their list of wants wasn’t too bad, so I started to plan while waiting to post for donations on Eden’s forum.

The reality of such a large family struck as I was making lists of items I wanted to buy for them. I didn’t know how much we would raise, but Black Friday came before it was over and I couldn’t resist. I bought all kinds of goodies while the getting was cheap. Hot Wheels, baking ovens, play doh and baby dolls were just some of the sale items on my list.

When I found out we had raised $373.77 I was really excited. It was more then I budgeted for so I could get more for the kids. Each child ended up with their requested toy and a complete outfit. In addition I had several miscellaneous items that they could share — stuffed animals, interactive animals that sang, danced or played tug of war, coloring books, reading books, board books and so much more. I also was able to buy them each a stocking stuffer bag filled with candy, toys and activities that were age appropriate for each child.

For the parents I wanted them to have peace of mind that their children would be happy and secure with the magic of Christmas but that doesn’t mean Mom and Dad shouldn’t get anything. With the left over funds I bought them a Lenox Candle Set, perfume, cologne, a variety of candies and photo albums to document their large family all over again.

Being inspired by the Eden Communities efforts to help so many this holiday season I took it upon myself to go beyond what was received and to get a bunk bed for the boys. Now all three boys would have their own separate sleeping area, my own added gift to the parents. I thought space would be an issue but I was certain they would be able to make enough room for the bed. Ended up with a wonderful used set with a white metal frame, a double bed on the bottom, a twin on top and a sofa love seat with a pull out bed. With that we got bedding stuff too. Figured they’d need sheets and waterproof mattress pads

I think my overwhelming moment came when I was wrapping the presents. There were so many and my own children where driving me crazy asking questions about the other family. They knew the gifts were for a homeless family who needed some help while they got back on their feet. After banishing them from the living room I got back to wrapping. It took forever. Eventually, my three came downstairs with a trash bag. My six year old said her baby toys could go because she wasn’t a baby anymore and other babies could still play with them. My boys had items they no longer played with as well. So, in addition to all the toys Eden bought for the family, I cleaned up the used toys and gave them the bag from my children too. And the inspiration of caring and loving others is passed down to the next generation of children.

When we delivered everything the Mom and Dad made all the kids go to one room and let me tell you what – seven children are extremely loud! It was hysterical to hear them trying to figure out who the strangers were and peeking out the window at us hoping to see what we had. All of their presents were hidden because they were all coming from ”Santa” but the furniture was taken into the house. The kids were bouncing off the walls excited about the bed. Those parents are going to have serious little monkeys on their hands!

The Mother and Father were extremely grateful and pass along their appreciation to the entire community and so do I. Thank you to Eden Fantasys and to all the members who helped to make this family’s Christmas bright.

Holidays are a time for people to gather with family and celebrate all of the blessings that have came their way throughout the year. Unfortunately, there are those who struggle to enjoy the holidays because they do not have the financial means to celebrate in a manner like most Americans. As a mother I know that this is increasingly difficult when you have children.

Children, for the most part, enjoy what celebrations their parents are able to provide, and then when they get to school everyone is talking about what their family did. Can you imagine going to school after a holiday break and learning that while you sat down to a meager meal for Thanksgiving your classmates feasted on an assortment of foods? I hate the thought of any child going without at any time of the year, but during the holidays I wish for all children to be blessed equally.

When Eden Fantasys put the word out that they were going to be reaching out to the communities to help families I became immediately emotional. I grew up in a middle class family where both of my parents worked. My dad was a journeyman and my mother a nurse. We always had what we needed, and more than not even what we wanted. Life was good. Our family never kept our blessings to ourselves, instead, my parents taught my siblings and I the importance of helping others. This lesson has never left me, and is one of the traditions I passed down to my children, and pray they do the same with theirs.

Through my Google search I found Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc (FVPS). I did some quick research online before contacting them. I was impressed when I read that their services included more than just what the name implied. FVPS offers the following services:

Counseling Services for Women, Men, and Children

Children’s Services Program developed for the specific emotional and social needs of children

Violence Intervention Program teaching men and women who have abused their partners to change their behavior

Transitional Housing Program

P.O.W.E.R. Program (Providing Options With Educational Resources) offering GED, ESL, Computer Literacy, and Banking Basics Education

Youth Substance Abuse Intervention Program serving juvenile court and school-referred adolescents and their families

Community Based Counseling Program providing individual counseling services to residents of all San Antonio homeless shelters

Legal Services Program providing free legal assistance to income-eligible victims of domestic violence.

Court Liaison Program linking victims involved with the legal system to professional intervention, and helping families work with the Court.

There was no question in my head, we would be able to find a family through this service.

I called and was directed to Ms. Melissa, FVPS’s volunteer coordinator. I told her about our wonderful community, and how we would like to inquire about helping. She told me of a few families, but none seemed to match what I thought we should help. I asked her if she had a family that she worried she would not be able to find a fit for. I could hear the smile in her voice when she told me about the next family; a family of ten. The family included Gilbert, age 43 and Rose Marie, age 40. Together they had six adopted children still living in the home. Jose, age 15; Marisol, age 12; Marco, age seven; Amaya, age seven; Christian, age seven; Christians twin brother Cristobal, also seven. Their oldest adopted son lived out of the house. After years of thinking they would never be able to have children naturally, Gilbert and Rose Marie were blessed with another child, Gilbert Jr. who is now three. Gilbert Jr. was born with Cerebral Palsy which forced Rose Marie to give up her career to stay home and take care of their son. Although it provided less income for the family, the couple was happy to make the sacrifices as they knew they were blessed by family.

I knew instantly after hearing their story that this was the family we were meant to adopt for Thanksgiving. Although I had yet to meet them, I instantly felt connected as my husband and I have attempted adoption (we have had three unsuccessful matches) and we have a special needs child.

I took the information to Victoria at EF and she was as excited as I was, and agreed the family sounded perfect.

I called out to all the wonderful people in the EF community, and we worked together with EF to raise money for Thanksgiving dinner.

Eden’s started us off with $200 for the meal. I knew with my frugal shopping I could do more than provide the family with a meal for this amount. I was excited to know that we were going to go far and beyond what we had signed up to do and I was elated.

On November 1^st I received a request from Ms. Melissa. She had another family that was still without a sponsor, and she wanted to know if we could help. I knew I could financially make it happen, and I went to Victoria and the rest of the EF community to ask how I should answer. The response was overwhelming. Everyone agreed that if we could make it happen for this other family that we should. I called Ms. Melissa back and gave her the wonderful news.

The second family included single mother Maria, age 37; Jovahana, age 19; Julian, age 15; Karina age 10; Jessica, age 8; Ruben, age 12 and Abcde (pronounced ab-sa-dee), age two.

With this new family EF did something I did not expect, they raised the initial amount of money to $300, giving us $100 extra of base money to spend on the two families. Although confident that I could provide the two meals on $200, they wanted to make a big impact on these families.

In just three days the EF community donated $504.68 of their points and gift cards, giving us an additional $252.34 for our families. When I shared this with my husband he was as impressed as I with the $552.34 total and although not a part of EF, he wanted to help. He donated the remainder of the money to bring us up to a $600 total.

$600 is a lot of money, even when buying for two large families. I knew this from the start, but I did not quite understand how far it would go. It took me three trips to the store to load up my entire trunk and back seat with food and goodies for our families. During the entire shopping time I even lost ten pounds from pushing around multiple carts and loading and unloading. I even had to go out and purchase a deep freezer to house all the frozen food.

Days before my scheduled drop off days I prepared by sorting the non-perishable items and placing the two huge turkeys in my fridge to thaw in time for Thanksgiving. I was both excited and nervous to meet the families. I wondered if I would cry when we met, or if I would feel uncomfortable in the home of a stranger.

The second families drop off day was two days before Thanksgiving. I brought my friend Maria along as I was informed that the family did not speak English. I was glad to know that there was someone there with me, even if it was just to assist me with communication. When we found the house I opened my trunk and approached the door. My stomach sank out of excitement to see the faces of this family. I knocked on the screen door that was shut and looked into the house as the main door was fully open. A little girl in just her panties came to the door. I looked at Maria and she started speaking to the girl, and asked her to get her mother.

The mother was not at home, but at work. I can imagine that a single mother of six works a lot, and I believe that this was not at all uncommon. The eldest daughter came to the door and Maria introduced us. We received a questioning look, and were invited it. Something told me that the oldest girl spoke English, and so I asked Maria to ask. When Maria questioned her, the girl laughed and told us “yes” in English.

All of the children who were home assisted us in carrying in the groceries to a large dining table in the back of the house. Before we were even done bringing it all in the table was covered, and some items had to be set on the floor. I looked around at all we had provided for this family and I had a sense of pride in being able to represent the EF community.

The next morning I drove from San Antonio to Sommerset, Texas to make our second delivery. My children were on Thanksgiving break so they came with. They asked me a lot of questions on the drive out. Although they knew that mommy was working with a group to adopt a family for Thanksgiving they were still curious. My middle son asked why we were bringing them the food if we adopted them, since he was thinking that us “adopting” them meant they were going to come live with us.

When we found the house we were greeted with multiple smiles. The dad, Gilbert, was off of work since he works as a school bus driver. My sons and I began to bring in food, and when Gilbert saw all we had, he rounded up his family to assist us. Even the youngest, while wobbling down the wheel chair ramp, assisted with the bags.

After all the food was in the house the family invited us to stay and chat. I instantly felt comfortable with the family and so we stayed. Every so often I would hear a giggle, and see their girls poking their heads out the bedroom door, pointing at my boys, smiling, and quickly shutting the door. Even before leaving it was announced that they thought my sons were cute.

When we left the youngest told me he wanted to come with. If given the chance I would have invited him to visit. The final goodbye included many thanks of gratitude along with hugs from all.

Days after I received a call from FVPS thanking the EF community for all the joy they brought to these families. Additionally, we were given a certificate of appreciation.

I want to end this by once again saying thank you to all of you that helped. I appreciate that although I am still a newbie to the community you allowed me to help in my town. I feel blessed this holiday season to say that I am a member of such a caring group.

Happy Holidays,

Ange

Growing up, I had been taught that “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”  I always thought this was corny and dishonest when I was young because I loved the intoxication of wonder and delight each time I received a present.  I found it hard to believe that everyone did not share similar feelings.  Truth be told, I am still a child at heart when I receive a present.  The lovely wrapping paper enchantingly conceals a world of possibilities and I deeply relish the anticipation of tearing it open to reveal the wonderful secret within.  The holidays are a time of magic.

Though I still love the anticipation involved in opening presents, as I’ve grown older, the winter holidays have increasingly become a time to reflect upon everything for which I am thankful.  I have learned to sincerely count my blessings, no matter how disgruntled I might be with my life.  I have also learned that the reward with the most lasting value is the euphoria which fills me each time I am involved in helping others.  I realize how very trite this sounds, but it is so very true.  Altruistic deeds buoy the human spirit more powerfully than any anti-depressant drug could ever do – and the positive feelings tend to linger and give small bursts of happiness each time I recall them.

I think this is because the act of giving renews our faith in the tremendous capacity humanity has for goodness.  When we show others that we care by offering little acts of kindness or by giving tangible gifts, we impart the most wonderful gift of all:  hope for a better tomorrow.  After all, it is our hope for, and faith in, a positive future that drives mankind.  Inspiring within our fellow human beings the gift of hope and faith is what infuses the holidays with magic.  But the best part of this is that each time we give these gifts, we receive them in kind tenfold.  So, I must admit that I had partly selfish reasons for requesting to be chosen as an ambassador for the Eden community.

The organization from which I chose to adopt Eden’s first Christmas family was my local county Assistance Center.     I chose a family of five: 36-year-old parents with a seven-year-old daughter, a six-year-old son, and a one-year-old daughter.  The family has an income, but they barely make enough to cover rent and utilities and thus do not have any discretionary income to buy gifts and clothing for their children this year.

I ran into a bit of a challenge early on when I contacted the family to get sizes for the children’s clothing.  The case sheet offered no indication that the parents did not speak English, so I was not expecting a communication barrier the first time I called.  I had to enlist the help of other people to communicate with them; but, in the end, everything turned out fine.

After procuring the sizes, I set out bright and early (too early, in my opinion) on Black Friday to take advantage of sales.  I hadn’t received the check from Eden yet, but I used my credit card because I wanted to get the “biggest bang for my buck” by purchasing quality clothing at discount pricing.

I am not a morning person.  Also, I have always avoided Black Friday sales like the plague because I hate fighting my way through crowds and standing in lines.  So, if you expect me to be out and about on Black Friday at a ridiculous and ungodly hour, you’d better bribe me with something pretty enticing.  I did find something pretty enticing while browsing the advertisements of Black Friday sales:  The Gap had every single item in their store at half-price from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.  The cost of their jeans and shirts on this sale was quite similar to the prices at Target – especially when purchasing items which had already been marked down previously.  However, the quality of the materials and construction of The Gap’s clothing is superior and thus lasts much longer.  One pair of gorgeous micro-corduroy skinny pants that I purchased for the seven-year-old girl had been marked down from $35 to $21.99.  I got them on the half-price sale for $11.  The most I spent on any one item at The Gap was $24.75: a box of seven well-made long-sleeved body-suits for the one-year-old girl (which calculates out to $3.54 each!).  The sherpa-lined hooded jackets were the second most expensive items:  $19.75 for the seven-year old daughter’s jacket and $17.25 for the one-year-old’s.

For some reason, I couldn’t find a sherpa-lined hoodie jacket for the six-year-old boy at The Gap, but I later found him one online at Old Navy for $15.00.  I was so impressed with Old Navy’s Black Friday sale that I ordered a few more shirts for the older kids online.  I had intended on purchasing only two shirts per each child, but I ended up buying four shirts for the older children and the box of seven bodysuits/shirts for the baby.  I also bought each child two pairs of pants and one pair of pajamas, in addition to the shirts and the jackets.  The mom had repeatedly emphasized the need for warm clothing and I was determined that her children would not be cold this winter.

After hitting up The Gap’s sale, I headed over to Target to pick up a vacuum cleaner since the family needed one.  I’d seen one on sale for only $28 in an advertisement and was worried that they would be sold out by the time I arrived.  Sure enough, the shelves were empty, but a helpful employee scoured the back of the store for about fifteen minutes to find me one that had somehow been buried out of sight.  While I was there, I picked up some toys for the kids.  I bought a Plug ‘n Play game for each for the two older children (a Sponge Bob racing game for the boy and another game for the girl, which I later exchanged for a Pac Man game that had excellent reviews).  I also picked up a 10-pack of batteries to power the games.  The Plug ‘n Plays had multiple games to keep the kids interested for a long period of time.  For the baby, I chose a plush singing puppy that recites the letters of the alphabet, numbers, colors, and body parts because the mother had asked for an educational toy for her.

I had planned on making the family some colorful holiday-themed sugar cookies — that is, until an adorable gingerbread house kit that featured a gingerbread Santa’s sleigh caught my eye.  I imagined how much fun the family would have building this together, with even the youngest child helping to place the Skittles and M&M adornments.  I also found them a Christmas card in Spanish and I signed the name of each person who had donated to them (abbreviating any online handles which were obviously not “real” names!).

To give you an idea just how generous the Eden community has been, here is the substantial pile of holiday magic that you bestowed upon this grateful family:

I snapped the above picture right before loading the gifts into my car to head over to “Santa’s Workshop,” the Assistance Center’s holiday warehouse, to pick up some more holiday cheer.  The warehouse is actually an out-of-business Albertson’s grocery store, which is being put to good use as a storage site and pick-up location for donated food and toys for the Santa’s program.  The program offers a one-month supply of food, three $15 Payless Shoe Source gift cards, and three toys from a community toy drive for each adopter to deliver to his or her adopted family, along with the gifts of clothing and toys that the adopter had purchased and wrapped.  I had been given the shoe gift cards the day that I adopted the family, but I still needed to pick up the supply of food and the toys from the warehouse on one of two scheduled dates.   I set up a delivery time with the family on the first available date – Saturday morning, December 18.

Arriving at the warehouse, I checked in and was given a sheet to present the mother for acknowledging delivery of the food and toys, which I needed to return with her signature to the organization.  I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to select the toys myself, but I was still very happy to get an additional toy per child so that each of them would receive two.

Driving around to the back of the old grocery store, I was greeted by a bunch of volunteers who completely filled the trunk of my car with four large food boxes (in the photo, one of the boxes is hidden behind the others).  I couldn’t help but take a peek inside the big box on the left and the top box on the right:

With my hatchback trunk completely full, the volunteers placed the other two boxes of food (one of which was all baby food) in the back seat, next to the wrapped vacuum cleaner.

To make everything fit, I had to squeeze the other presents I’d wrapped into the front seat and front floorboard of my car.  It was so packed that I had to precariously balance the last bag of packages and slam the door quickly before it could fall.  For the first time that morning, I was actually glad that my husband was unable to come with me because either he would not have had a place to sit or we would have had to make more than one trip!

When I finally arrived at the family’s apartment, the mother and her children were waiting outside on their upstairs neighbor’s balcony, all anxiously looking out for my arrival.  The father was not present to help unload all the boxes (probably because he was working), but a neighbor helped me to unload everything and to also translate any information too complicated for the six-year-old and seven-year-old to convey.  Mom kept trying to help, but during the commotion my arrival brought, she was contending with a squirming, crying 13-month-old who shrieked in terror each time her mother tried to put her down.  Mom and the two older kiddos were literally buzzing with excitement – and the novelty of this experience just confused and frightened the baby.

After the tiny kitchen table and countertops were loaded to the max with all the boxes of food and all the gifts were brought inside their small, but immaculately clean apartment, the mom happily agreed to my request to photograph her children, though she declined being in the photo herself.  I made certain that her neighbor let her know that I would be posting it online in a story about the Santa’s program, but emphasized that her children’s names would not be publicized.  Big Sis used her new Barbie to bribe her protesting baby sister into finally leaving her mother’s arms, while Big Brother kept a reassuring hand on her long enough for me to snap a quick photo:

The children were exceptionally well-behaved and it was obvious that they had an attentive and loving mother.  As I was leaving, the grateful mom tore her children away from their rapt contemplation of their gifts to thank me repeatedly.  I wish you could have seen their faces.

I hope you can look at the photo of these beautiful children and feel wonderful knowing what a difference you have made in their lives this Christmas.  As they grow up, they will always have the happy memories of the magic of this season – not only the building anticipation of discovering the secrets concealed behind wrapping paper, but – most importantly of all – the experience of waking up on Christmas morning to participate as a family in an event to be cherished and remembered.

Though this is an online community, we have managed to reach out to help many families in “the real world.”  I am so very grateful – not only for the honor of representing all of you and the joy of being involved in this experience, but also for your generosity in raising $356.89 to help this family that I adopted in my local community.  I hope each of you and all of your family members are filled to overflowing with the magic of this season as you anticipate the hope and promise offered by a new year – no matter which winter holiday you celebrate.

“What do you think the family will do when they see the presents we bought?”

Over the last couple days, that’s been a really common phrase mentioned in our household. I applied to be a representative for the EdenGivesBack program a couple weeks back. This program basically allowed me to sponsor a family in the area for the Holidays through an Adopt-A-Family program. I’m happy to say that I was accepted as the representative, and I was sent to be the last and final family to be sponsored.

I was worried about being the last family to be sponsored. After all, that time frame only gave me a week to receive the money, buy the presents, get them wrapped, and get them out to the family. Of course, everything has worked out in the end, but I was worried for that week. During that week while the post was posted on the forums, I bumped it every couple hours and posted it on Twitter quite a few times.

I’m beyond happy to find out that the EdenFantasys community raised $445 for the family. That’s amazing! I wasn’t expecting that much. I was just expecting around $300. Almost five hundred dollars for complete strangers who happen to be in need; that’s just amazing, and it has renewed my faith in the generousity of people.

Right after Victoria announced the total on the thread, the boyfriend and I took off to the store. I didn’t have the money yet, but I used my credit card just to repay myself later. It’s surprisingly difficult to shop for a family we have never met and just know bare details about. We knew the mother wore size 14 jeans, but do you usually buy jeans without ever seeing or trying them on? Yeah, me neither, so it seemed like a bad idea to purchase jeans. Instead, we got her a winter coat, new bedroom comforter and bedding, a relaxing spa kit, a small fleece throw, and a giftcard to add more gifts or to buy groceries for her family.

Shopping for the little 3-year-old girl was much easier. She wanted Dora items, Fur Real Friends, and doll toys. Turns out that dolls must be popular this year because there were quite a few different dolls and accessories hanging around. While looking at the toy aisle, I had to avoid feeding my My Little Pony addiction (though I’ll admit it used my own cash to purchase a little pony.) We bought her a doll stroller, a new doll, two sets of different doll foods, a Fur Real Friends puppy, and a little stuffed animal. (On an odd note, do you know that Barbie now makes a “Puppy Training” set? You press the back of the little puppy, and he either goes #1 or #2. I find this wrong on so many levels.) The stuffed animal is easily my favorite. The boyfriend and I collect that series of stuffed animals, so it felt like we were bringing a personal part of ourselves into this which was amazing.

Buying gifts for a 7-year-old boy is also surprisingly difficult. He wanted some video games as well as a remote-controlled helicopter. (Sounds like any young boy I know.) The boyfriend ended up picking out most of the purchases for the young boy since I was never real “hip” on Legos. We bought the boy two PSP videogames, two sets of Bionicle toys, a little Lego set, a K’Nex set, a remote-controller helicopter, and a little toy that hovers above the ground.

Putting all of the items in the car was an amazing feeling. There were so many bags. There were a lot more than any two college students were used to. It was great to know that all of these items were going to a local family right in our community. Of course, over the next five hours of wrapping the items, that’s what I had to keep telling myself. Turns out that five hours of wrapping gifts (complete with ribbons and stickers) is an experience I’ve never done before nor never want to repeat.

Overall, this was a ten hour endeavor. Purchasing the toys took about five hours while wrapping them took another five hours. It basically took all day, but I’m proud to say I got it all done within one day, so the women’s shelter I went through will have an easier time getting this set given to the family before all of the people start to submit their own sets. Plus, the children will get the opportunity to feel eager about the different presents under the tree.

The guys from the women’s shelter (which doesn’t have a public address, so they pick it up from us) will be here to pick it up tomorrow. All of that accomplished in one day! Wow! I really wish I’d be able to know exactly what the family thought of their presents and see their reaction, but due to the nature of the reason they’re involved in the program, it’s all anonymous.

I’m so downright amazingly grateful for EdenFantasys to allow me to do this. Because of all of this, I’m going to be able to know that a family who had the courage to walk out of an abusive household is not going to feel any sort of regret this Holiday season. The children are going to have great presents, and the mother is going to have some treats for herself as well as some extra money for the groceries. It takes quite a bit of courage to walk out on everything you know to start it all fresh, and I’m so amazingly grateful that EdenFantasys has allowed me the chance to brighten their Holidays, and make their sacrifice never, for one moment, seem like a regret. I really hope EF chooses to do this next year because I’ll definitely be the first in line to sign up and donate again. This was so perfect, and it really added more to my Holiday than any gifts I’ll be receiving will. Thank you so much EdenFantasys and everyone who donated.

So, guys, we have some stuff coming up – big stuff –  and I’m here to ask all you readers and writers to pitch in and make this stuff totally awesome.

To help make EdenCafe totally awesome thru the next few months.

We love having some of you write for us, we love doing contests, we love when you comment on our writers posts but we want more! We want more involvement, we want to really come together as a community who loves, works, shares, plays and gives together.

World AIDS Day

Victoria put up a post on the forums last night about how, exactly, you can become involved in this. You don’t need to show your face or even know how to make a video, a simple picture will work. Please check it out.

Holidays

We also have some holidays coming up – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.  For some reason, these three holidays always seem to affect all of us deeply on some level.

Over at EdenFantasys, we adopted two families for Thanksgiving thru the Eden Community Gives Back Program.  Not only is EdenFantasys putting up money to help these needy families but the community itself rallied together and donated points and gift cards, which EF converted to cash, to raise a total of over $500 to provide food and other necessities where they are truly needed.

We’re doing the same for Christmas, only this time it will be for five families.  Please visit the forum and participate if you can!

I’d love to do some theme weeks.  Here are some ideas I’ve had for topics to write about:

• What are you thankful for?
• What does giving mean to you?
• How do you and your family spend the holidays?  Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, share with us what you do and how you make it special.
• Is Christmas too commercial?
• Do you celebrate something other than Christmas? What? And why?
• Do you make New Years resolutions?  What do you plan to change about yourself and your life in the New Year?

Life. Sex. Love. Friendship. Community.

So, there you have it.  Topics we can almost all relate to.  Activism.  Giving back.

Write something.  Participate in Word Aids Day Week.  Give back to those in need by joining in the Eden Community Gives Back project.

Let’s make the end of this year something truly spectacular.  Let’s join together as a community and write, share, give, love.

I’ve been sitting here with a blank page opened for hours.  Partly it’s cuz I have this horrible cold and my brain isn’t working well.  But it’s mostly due to the fact that after last weeks World AIDS Day Project, I have nothing nearly so exciting to talk about!

If you somehow missed it, please take a look.  A week full of articles and stories on both SexIs and here, plus Eden Fantasys raised a thousand dollars for ASC NYC.  It was a fantastic week, really it was.  Another huge thank you to those who wrote, those who read, those who retweeted and made the donation possible.  You guys rock, seriously.

After all that excitement, EF is quiet this week so far.  Then again, we also had a record breaking 221 reviews come in last week.  Perhaps y’all just wore yourselves out?

So, seeing as it’s quiet and y’all are worn out, I’m just going to mention that I’m always, always looking for articles and posts from you guys.  Sex, politics, feminism, health, kink, age related issues, whatever!  If you have ideas, things you want to write about, send me an email.  (EdenCafeAdmin at gmail dot com. Or just use the contact link at the top of the site) Chances are we’ll post it.  AND you’ll get paid in gift cards.

I’d love to have posts about life, love and sex from the college age folks.  Dorm living, getting it on while still living at home, how sexuality outlooks are different in college than they were in high school.  How to make a relationship work while trying to do well academically.  You get the idea.

Parents.  How do you keep things hot despite the kids?  How have things changed since having kids?  How, as the kids age, do things change?  How has your body changed?  Your relationship?  Your political views?

Kinksters.  What’s your kink?  What do you do and why?  How did you get kinky?  Are you public about it?  Do you have a lot of information on your kink or fetish?

Activists, political types….

Anyone.  Send me your ideas.  We’re always, always looking for new voices, new topics.

As for me, I’m off to make more Theraflu and grab another box of tissues.  Sure hope you guys aren’t sicky and icky this week!