Founded in 1947 by reservist Major Bill Hendricks, Toys for Tots represents a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose families cannot afford to buy them gifts for the most wonderful season of the year.
The mission of this program is to collect and distribute new unwrapped toys to unprivileged children for Christmas.
According to their website, “The Foundation provides the leadership, funding, and support needed for successful annual toy collection and distribution campaigns.”
Back in 1997, the program launched what is one of the most beautiful commercials we’ve ever seen.
YouTube
Each Christmas, this commercial is shared by a number of people who wish for the holiday spirit to be spread around.
It features a young boy with a piece of paper in his hands approaching a Marine and asking him if he’s Santa Claus.
The Marine stands still because he’s on his job and doesn’t seem to pay attention to the boy who’s talking to him.
The boy then asks the same question again and then hands the piece of paper, which turns out to be his wish list for Christmas, to the guard, hoping his wishes to be granted this season.
To everyone’s surprise and delight, the guard, without making any eye contact with the boy, opens his hand and takes the boy’s list.
The commercial is supposed to raise awareness of the importance of the mission by Toys For Tots. It is a reminder that there are children out there who would not be getting any gifts, and that each and every one of us can help make a difference in a child’s life.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
In life, there comes a time when we realize we’ve been wearing the same old hairstyle and those clothes bough years ago for way too long. And then out of the blue, something kicks in and we feel the urge to experience certain change. Whether it’s a new hair color or getting rid of the old skirts, we know we have to fight the dullness that has somehow become part of our everyday life.
Mary Johnson, a state representative in North Dakota has finally decided to lift herself from the seat with the state and visit the salon of one of the best stylists there are, Christopher Hopkins, or better known as the Makeover Guy.
Over the years, Christopher helped a huge number of people go through the transformation they had been longing for.
When Mary Johnson let him do his magic, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but the end result left her speechless. What’s most, her husband of many years couldn’t even recognize her.
Mary wasn’t looking for anything specific. Her only demand was, “No purple no blue, no none of that…”
As Christopher trimmed Mary’s hear, he also took years off her face. With adding a little red and blending her natural gray with blonde highlights, he helped brought out her bright eyes.
Once the transformation was over, another of Christopher’s clients entered the salon and walked by off screen. He made a comment that Mary looked awesome for someone who was about 42. Beaming with happiness, she answered back that 42 was “20 years ago.”
When the time came for her husband David to see her, he nearly didn’t recognize her. As she approached him, his jaw dropped and he could be heard saying, “WOW,” later confessing that he initially thought she was a different woman.
“I wouldn’t have recognized you,” he said as he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
Mary was extremely satisfied with her new looks. “I feel great,” she said. “I couldn’t feel better, it just exceeded everything I thought possible. You guys didn’t have much of a canvas to work with, but Holy Moly, what a great job!”
She truly went from a Fargo North Dakota girl to THAT GIRL.
For Mary’s incredible transformation go to the video below.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
Ten major retail stores, including Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Nordstrom, and Home Depot are making a notable shift in the way they connect with their customers this season by replacing the generic “Happy Holidays” with the traditional greeting “Merry Christmas.”
As per reports, these major stores are making a deliberate and synchronized effort to shift towards “Merry Christmas.”
Even some unconventional stores like Bass Pro Shops, known for its firearm sales, are promoting the Christmas celebrations.
This effort has been praised from groups like the American Family Association, as well as the public.
The goal of these retail stores to unify in promoting the once traditional greeting is to embrace the tradition during the holiday season.
As the impact of the joyous “Merry Christmas” greeting gets acknowledged all over the country, there is a feeling of unity among the people and that makes the holiday spirit even stronger.
No matter where you shop this season, make sure you greet everyone with the phrase “Merry Christmas” and spread the Christmas cheer.
Tell us what you think of this.
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
Just like most moms out there, Hailey is a busy mother, a devoted wife, and a caring member of the community.
Between grocery shopping, household chores, taking care of the kids, and writing for her blog, Thoughts, Dots, and Tots, “free time” isn’t something she gets to experience often.
One day, on her way to work, Hailey got stuck behind a slow-moving truck that was struggling to reach the speed limit. She got pretty angry about it and tried her best not to lose her temper because she was in a hurry.
But, once at a stoplight, she got closer to the truck and that’s when she realized the reason for the driver’s slow speed.
Facebook/Thoughts, Dots, and Tots
In her heartfelt viral Facebook post, Hailey shared what she read on the truck’s back window. She had no idea that their time together at the stoplight would change her entire outlook on life!
She wrote:
“As I was pulling into work, I was following this car. The sign in the back window said, ‘Learning stick sorry for any delay.’
Knowing this information, I was very patient with their slow shifting, and honestly, they were doing pretty well for still learning.
Then I asked myself a tough question: Would I have been just as patient if the sign hadn’t been there?”
Facebook/Thoughts, Dots, and Tots
“I can almost definitely say no.
We don’t know what someone is going through. We don’t wear signs that illustrate our personal struggles. You don’t see signs taped to people’s shirts that say, ‘Going through a divorce,’ or ‘Lost a child,’ or ‘Feeling depressed,’ or ‘Diagnosed with cancer.’
If we could read visually what those around us are going through we would definitely be nicer.
But we shouldn’t have to see signs and have reasons to treat strangers with kindness. We should do it anyway, whether we know what is going on or not. Whether they deserve it or not.
Let’s give everyonean extra dose of patience, kindness, and love…”
The hand-scribbled message left a profound impact on Hailey. If she hadn’t seen it, she would have remained frustrated with the driver in the truck, but this way, she chose the path of tolerance.
Facebook/Thoughts, Dots, and Tots
This story is a reminder that no matter how busy we are, we should never lose the feeling of compassion for those around us.
Please SHARE this story with your family and friends on Facebook.
For Amanda Sydney life was starting to look a little better again. Amanda comes from Australia and 2017 was set to be a great year for her, filled with love and greatness and a bright future!
Three long years is how long she and her husband tried for a baby until finally, she conceived and they had just moved into their house that they had been renovating for over two years.
Amanda was on top form, in fact, she couldn’t have been any happier if she tried. Her life and hopes and dreams were all but to be smashed in the worst way possible. Completely out of the blue her husband dropped a bombshell on her, he told her he wanted to leave and without hesitation left, out of the door, gone! Without even having a chance to take a breath, Amanda was all alone, pregnant and bills up to the wazoo!
Without any money and a baby coming along soon, Amanda by herself, a complete emotional mess and not knowing what was in store for her or her child, pondered her situation. Her friend Anna was thankfully with her, and emotionally supporting her, but it was her that had a great idea to write to the local radio station, KIIS 1065 to ask if they would consider her for a spot in their “give back” segment.
The radio station learned of Amanda’s position and they decided to get involved and help. They knew that alone it would be hard to help so they brought local businesses into the picture to make an amazing show.
They invited Amanda and Anna to the radio studios to do a segment with them, but Amanda had no clue what was going to happen. As she spoke to the radio hosts she told them how the worse part was the uncertainty of the whole situation.
Amanda said:
“It’s been about five weeks since it happened” … “And the biggest thing is just the shock, I guess because it wasn’t really what we planned, or what I planned.”
Amanda finished telling her story then the radio hostess turned to her to face a television screen behind her, it was a video tour of her new house. They highlighted what they had done for her to help, to her surprise!
A vacuum cleaner was to symbolize free home cleaning for the next six months, the food in the refrigerator was a gift from Eat Fit Food, and a commitment to bring daily meals for the next three months! On the countertop was $4,000 of baby supplies for her, with a $1,000 voucher for baby pictures even!!
But when the camera came to the oven, and the door was open, everyone lost it!!
Inside the oven was a huge stack of cash… $10,000 so Amanda will not have to worry about her mortgage for quite some time, amazing right?
Amanda was in floods of tears, all she could muster to say was:
“It means I don’t have to move now…I can’t thank you enough, I really can’t.”
It’s definitely notthe 2017 she had imagined, or even wished for, but because of the generosity of strangers, it was now possible to have such a great start, over again, for her and her baby.
What a completely amazing story, don’t you think? Please SHARE it with your family and friends on Facebook!
The relationship with the in-laws can be a challenging one. The truth is that things turn even messier when the spouse sides with his parents instead with his significant other, and these ‘issues’ don’t necessarily get easier to deal with as time passes.
A woman named Evelyn took to Reddit to ask if she was in the wrong for revealing to everyone on the social media about the treatment she received by her in-laws during a visit prior to the holiday.
Namely, she and her husband were overly excited for the trip to his parent’s place because they were about to introduce the newest addition to the family, their twins, to the grandparents.
Once there, things seemed normal at first until the in-laws presented Evelyn with the sleeping arrangement for the night. As it turned out, she and her husband couldn’t sleep together, and neither the twins.
While her husband, Mike, was expected to sleep in his childhood bedroom, Evelyn was asked to sleep in the barn.
As expected, she got confused and upset and confronted her husband about it, but he dismissed her concerns and didn’t think it was a big deal.
As her in-laws insisted on separate sleeping arrangements despite Evelyn not being happy about it, she reached her breaking point.
photographee.eu via Deposit Photos
At that moment, she documented the bizarre living conditions, booked a flight home, and shared what had happened on the social media, exposing how her in-laws treated her to her social media friends and followers.
Her husband and his parents got extremely mad and asked her to apologize for what she did.
She’s now even contemplating to spend Christmas with her own parents, who are very supportive and where she and her twins feel loved and cared for.
Evelyn asked Redditors to advise her on what’s the most appropriate thing to do.
What would you do if you were in her possition?
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
Teaches stumble upon different kinds of students during their career. Some of them need some extra attention and help, and others stun them with their bright answers.
Many times, however, there are students who are naturally witty and add to the fun that is often times part of the lesson.
This teacher had an amusing story to share when she gave little Johnny a basic math task to solve. His answer will make you burst out laughing!
Teacher: “If I gave you two cats and another two cats and then another two, how many would you have?”
Johnny: “Seven!”
Teacher: “No, no, listen carefully… If I gave you two cats, and another two cats and another two, how many would you have?”
Johnny: “Seven.”
The teacher rubs her temples and takes a deep breath.
Teacher: “Come on, Johnny, you’re better than this. Let me put it to you differently. If I gave you two apples, and another two apples and another two, how many would you have?”
Johnny: “Six.”
Teacher: “Good. Now, if I gave you two cats, and another two cats and then another two, how many would you have?”
Johnny: “Seven!”
Teacher: “Johnny, where in the heck do you get seven from?!?”
Johnny: “Because I’ve already got a freaking cat!”
Please SHARE the story with your friends if it made you laugh!
Donny Osmond and Susan Boyle are incredible performers with millions of fans worldwide. They are both icons in their own right, but watching them share a stage together does feel like a dream.
Luckily for us, we got to witness that dream become a reality once again when Donny invited Susan to join him in Glasgow and sing a duet with him. This wasn’t the first time that these two created magic when their voices blended on stage.
Donny has been Susan’s idol since she was a young girl. When she reached for the stars and became a well known name in the world of music, Susan got to perform with her idol in 2013 in Vegas.
“It was my first time in Vegas and it was great fun, especially since I got to perform with Donny Osmond. If someone told me years ago I’d be performing on stage with him, I’d have laughed at them. He’s been my idol since I was 13, so I feel like I’ve grown up with him in a way. It’s all been a bit mind-blowing,” Susan told the Daily Mail.
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 03: Singer Susan Boyle leaves the “Today Show” taping at the NBC Rockefeller Center Studios on December 3, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)
Susan’s fans refer to themselves as to the Red Scarf Brigade in honor of her trademark red scarf.
“Some people think they’re a bit mad, but they’re not. They’re very kind to me and they made me a blanket with Donny’s face on which I still have on my bed because it keeps me warm. This time they made a blanket with my face on it and gave it to him,” the singer said.
“I think people relate to me in some way,” she added. “Maybe they think, ‘If she can do it in her late stage in life, maybe I can too.’”
Well, Susan may have an army of fans, but when it comes to Donny Osmond, he and his siblings even caused a movement dubbed Osmondmania.
This term was written all over newspapers following an incident during which 18 girls were slightly injured and four were treated for their injuries at the hospital.
George Stroud/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Namely, the day The Osmonds arrived at Heathrow on 21 October 1973 ended up being a serious incident that could’ve had some pretty dire consequences.
When their plane landed, more than 10,000 fans packed the roof garden at the Queen’s Building at Heathrow Airport, but as too many people were let onto the viewing site, a part of the balcony railing and wall collapsed. It was a miracles that the number of injured people was that low.
“The worst problem was hysteria,” a helper at the Queen’s Building medical center, where first aid was provided, said at the time. “It was difficult at first to distinguish between girls who had been hurt and girls who were screaming and weeping from fright or from disappointment at missing a sight of the group.”
Donny Osmond, The Osmonds, portrait, London, 1973. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
Donny and his siblings weren’t even aware of what had happened util they arrived at the hotel.
“It was pretty cool, the screaming and the adulation, but I remember a moment right after the Heathrow experience where the balcony collapsed and we were banned from the airports,” Donny Osmond remembered in an interview with the Standard.
“I was in the hotel room with my brother Alan and we turn the television on that night and there was this programme with three people on – the presenter, a person from Scotland Yard and a child psychiatrist and they were debating whether or not Donny Osmond should be deported from England because of what he’s doing to all of our young kids. My brother turned to me and said, ‘You remember this moment because this never happens’. It was such a cool moment.”
Source: Instagram/DonnyOsmond
Donny once recalled another incident involving a group of fans. Namely, he and his siblings were chased after by some girls into an underground car park of the hotel and the security had to use a firehose to keep them out.
“I had the time of my life!” Donny recalled. “Hundreds and hundreds of fans were able to get into the parking structure, and [because] I had long hair at the time, they were just surrounding us. Our security guard, he saw me, and because of my long hair, he thought I was one of the fans so he threw me back into the fans and realised what he had done, but he couldn’t get to me because of all the fans. So I got on the floor, and I was sneaking to the entrance of the hotel, and one of the other security guards thought I was a fan and grabbed me and threw me back into the fans. It was awesome!”
Recently, Donny performed in Glasgow. To the delight of the crowd, he asked a familiar name to join him on stage, Susan Boyle.
The two performed a version of This Is the Moment, which they recorded together in 2012.
A video of their performance, shared by Catherine Chisholm, shows Donny holding Susan’s hand, smiling, before giving her a big hug. He then thanks her and lands a kiss on her forehead.
“That was a treat – thank you, Susan. I love that woman,” he could be heard saying.
Donny himself posted a photo of him and Susan with the caption, “In Glasgow, Scotland and low and behold, guess who showed up to my concert? My dear friend, Susan Boyle! She was waiting in one of the dressing rooms backstage to go out to the audience and I heard this angel voice in the hallway. I walked up to the door and…”
Please SHARE this article with your family and friends on Facebook.
