Marinemoms-Bethesda.org and Jane's Blog are not endorsed by or connected in any way with the USMC, the DoD or anyone
else official.
Copyright © 2007-2009 MarineMoms-Bethesda and Jane's Blog.
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2007-2009 MarineMoms-Bethesda and Jane's Blog.
All Rights Reserved.
Holiday Cheer at Bethesda 2009
Thanks so much for being a Marine Moms-Bethesda "Elf"
and helping to bring
Holiday Cheer to Bethesda!
Love and Hugs,
Cards "Elfs":
Julie, thank you for working with the OLV School and screening and sending the cards to me.
Chris in
Maryland
and
Janet and Wendy in Virginia,
Thank you for helping with the screening and sorting!
Sandy and Elfette
in Maryland,
Thank you for helping with the last minute sorting and tying the bundles up with cheerful bows!
Thank you to our
Card
"Efls"
from across the country and beyond!
Marilyn and Don in Oregon
Maria in Germany
Tampa Bay Area Marine Parents Assoc.iation, Florida
Our
Lady of Victory School
Pre-K, K, 1, 2, 3, 4 grades
OLV Girl Scouts
in Maryland
Julie in Maryland
Jan and Family in Florida
Sally in
Texas
Corliss and Harold
in California
1 Vet in California
Ann and Johnny
in California
Theresa and Darryl
in Pennsylvania
Terri
in North Carolina
Easton, MD Rotary Club
Carrie, Jane, and Caroline in Minnesota
Judi and the Village of Park Forest in Illinois
Ellen-Alisa
in Colorado
Mary L., Ann, Linda, Marge, Alma, Momma S., Barbara F., Kris S., and Chris D.
from Bayside Quilters in Maryland
Choptank
Marine Corps
League Detachment 439
and Friends
in Maryland
Tom and Bridget
In Minnesota
Tawnia in Minnesota
Pam and Mike in
California
Susan, Will, and Olivia in North Carolina
Peggy in Michigan
RMH Group, Inc. in Colorado
Marya and Friends
in Maryland
Stocking "Elfs"
Chris and the Bayside Quilters, Maryland -
Thank You for the beautiful stockings!
Jess, Maryland-
Thanks for venturing
out on 'Black Friday" to play Santa Elf and for
stuffing the stockings!
Thank you to our "Elfs" across the country
and beyond for your thoughtful stocking stuffers!
Judi in Illinois
Ann and Johnny
in California
Maria in Germany
Gladys, Bob, and
Jane
in Maryland
Dockside Boat Works
in Maryland
Chris and Carey
in Maryland
Peggy in Michigan
Lilies of the Field
in Maryland
Elf
Jason, Elf Jess,
Elf Neale and Elf Erin,
Thank you for wrapping and stuffing the stockings!
"Elfs" who let us do the picking out for them. (Elf Jess did a *great* job for you!)
Thank you!
Arlene in Washington
Melissa
in Tennessee
Nancy in Washington
Jeanette in Washington
WA State
Operation Thank You
Ann and Johnny in California
Theresa and Darryl
in
Pennsylvania
Terri in North Carolina
Chris and Carey
in Maryland
A Former Marine
Tawnia in Minnesota
Gladys and Bob in Maryland
Oct. 31, 2009
The new postmark date for cards is November 10, 2009.
Thank you, Sally, for the 72 cookie containers!
Thank
you, Chris, for getting the word out about the cards and the cookies!
Thank you, Grace, for your offer of help with the food for
the luncheon!
Quick note -
Please, please do NOT send cards with glitter on them!
One little piece of glitter can
get into an open wound and cause secondary infections.
We cannot take that chance with our HEROES so we recycle glitter cards in the
round recycling bin.
Nov. 9, 2009 - More "Elfs" added. Thank you sooo much!
We had a luncheon on 5 East Sunday. The room was busy! We made some new friends and saw some old friends.
Now we are going
full speed ahead for the "Holiday Cheer" luncheon on Dec. 3rd.
Plans are to continue the luncheons on into 2010........
Nov. 5, 2009 - More names added. Thank you!
Nov. 4, 2009 - New names added to the "Elfs" List to the left. Thank you!
Nov. 15, 2009
Card sorting has begun! Chris, Wendy and Janet came over today to help sort the cards.
We figured
a system out for laying them out in stacks so no one will have more than one card from the same person.
After we had them sorted into stacks we noticed that most of the envelopes were blank so decided to decorate them.
I pulled
out the Stampin' Up stuff and there was some serious stampin' going on!
Later this week we will add a few more cards that are in transit plus some that are too big to rubberband right now. It's a busy, busy
time of year for the "Elfs" and some of them are a little behind..Once we do that they will be ready for the ribbon!
Thank you
Chris, Wendy and Janet for your help today!
Below is a picture of some of the stockings Bayside Quilters has passed on for the "Elfs" to fill.
They will be doing that next
weekend!
Nov. 18, 2009 - More "Elfs" added. Thank you so much!
I can always tell when a military mom has sent something. If it's a box,
every corner and seam of the box is taped up with several layers of packing tape. If it's an envelope full of cards, they
are in a ziplock bag. mmm hmmm. Comes from sending care packages, I'm sure.
The messages inside the cards are extremely touching.
Thank you for taking the extra time to include a special message to the troops.
Nov. 21 - More "Elfs" added. Thank you so much!
"Semper Gumby" kicked in with the stockings but that's okay! Elf Jess and Co. will
be working on them. Thank You!
Elf Chris showed up the other day wiith three bags of stocking stuffer stuff and
more cards.Thank you!
Menu is planned. We may need a fourth table! Susie and Grace, you two are awesome! Thank you!
The
Cookie Packer "Elfs" have grown from 4 to 12! WOW!!!
It's all coming together... Counting down....
Nov. 25 - Dunkin Donut gift cards are bought, enough for a cuppa coffee and a donut for each stocking. The Elf told me she went into
the local Dunkin Donut shop and bought all of them at one time.
There was only one register available. Small town,
busy highway. Not good. The register ran out of memory as the cashier kept scanning one card after another.There was an
older woman who stood there behind the Elf patiently waiting for her turn to pay for her muffins. While the woman was waiting,
she helped the Elf put the cards in the gift card holders as the cashier kept swiping the cards. The Elf appreciated that very much.
Movies
are bought. Santa heard the guys at Bethesda tell someone that new movies would be appreciated. Hopefully they will share.
The Elf bought eight with the Walmart gift cards.
Thursday Elf Deb's dropping off the cookie containers and some cookies
here. (Okay so she is reeeeally coming to meet "Mr. Baby".) (Update - Ok, so maybe Thanksgiving isn't the best day to try to get away.
Mr. Baby will have to meet her another day!)
Friday morning the great switch-over will take place. Stockngs and stuffers
will be handed off to Elf Jess along with the rest of the Holiday Cheer money. Black Friday at the Mall. A Very Brave Elf. Well,
her brother's a Marine - it's in the genes!
Saturday, Elf Sandy and I think her "Elffette" are coming over to help
finish the cards.
And then Sunday "Elfs" from all over will gather to pack the cookies. Should be fun! Looking forward to it!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov. 28 - More "Elfs" added! Thank you, thank you!!!
Elf Jess braved the Mall on "Black Friday" to finish up the stocking stuffers
shopping. I filled the back of her car up with what Santa had already delivered. She had started the shopping before I arrived
and was "in the spirit" and tickled with what she had found already! We hope the guys and gals will be too!
Elf
Sandy and Elfette were here today to help finish the sorting and tying the bundles up with cheery ribbon. Elf Brit and her Sweetie Elf
dropped off a huge bag of cookies and the cookie containers.
Tomorrow is cookie packing!
The gate roster has been sent
in...
It's all coming together...
Cookie "Elfs"
Sally, thank you for the ADORABLE
cookie containers!
Deb and Britanny,
Thank you for being "cookie deliverers"!
Chris,
thank you for coordinating the Quilters for the cookies!
Gladys, Thank you for being a drop off point!
Barb and Don,
Gladys
and Bob,
Aunt Jeanne, and Julie -
Thank you for helping to pack the cookies!
Humongous Thanks
to the
"Cookie Elfs"!
They baked
73 DOZEN COOKIES!
Janet and Elizabeth
in Virginia,
Suzan and Maria,
Deb, Janelle , Brittany,
Sandy and "Elfette"
,
Robin, Julie, Gladys, Casey, Aunt Jeanne,
Barb G., Kris, Nan,
Barbara F.
in Maryland.
And we have MORE cookies coming
the day of the luncheon!
Luncheon "Elfs":
Elf Jessi
Elf Grace
Elf Susie
Elf Suzan
Elf Janie
and the
Choptank
Marine Corps League Detachment
#439,
Maryland,
represented by:
Kathleen
Robert
Russell
Wally
and
Jim.
Thank You
ALL
soooo MUCH!!!
Nov. 28 - Stocking Report from Elf Jess:
The stockings are all mostly full. There are a few "slacker stockings" that don't
look quite stuffed, so those will have a few more things added between now and Thursday. All of the stockings have one "big"
gift (something like a DVD, novel, or gift card), snacks and candy, Dunkin' Donuts gift cards, hot cocoa or tea, and at least one
fun toy-type gift and at least one toiletry-type gift, along with a bag of home baked sweets.
Nov. 29 - The Cookie "Elfs" were here today and packed 68 containers of cookies with at least a dozen cookies in each one.
The
containers Sally gave us are adorable! Last night when I was taking the stickers off of them I realized, "Uh oh. They need to
be washed!" Saved by the "Elfs"! Barb washed and Don dried!
Julie and Aunt Jeanne began packing the containers and then
Gladys and Bob (in his red "Toys for Tots" hat) arrived with more cookies. They knocked the packing out in an hour and
a half!
Next step is the food shopping. Susie and Grace are taking care of that and I will be speaking with them later today.
The Holidays are right around the corner and the Marine Moms-Bethesda "Elfs"
are making their lists and checking them twice!
Plans are to wind up our 2009 luncheon year as the holiday season begins with something SPECIAL for the troops!