It's also making sure the young people in our family have a good day. I find great joy in keeping silly secrets from them until the big day.
Many families don't get to make this time of year as special as they would like, but we can all try and help them.
I believe now it's more important than ever to ensure our vulnerable in our communities are looked after.
The Rotorua Daily Post last year raised almost $65,000.
The donations helped more than 300 families at Christmas and will ensure the Salvation Army can help more families year-round.
The final tally also just pipped the 2019 tally of $64,145.20.
The Bay of Plenty Times Christmas Appeal raised a total of $132,000 in cash and 29,495 food items worth $58,990.
Last year's Christmas foodbank appeal raised a record $190,990 - including a last-minute $30,000 donation from Tauranga company Synergy Technologies, on top of massive generosity from the community and local businesses.
More than 16,000 people have needed help from the Tauranga Community Foodbank this year and a record amount of food has been given to those in need.
This included 8897 children, which worked out to about 200,000 meals.
Remember, this is at a time when people are losing jobs and Covid has made life uncertain for many, yet our community's generosity never fails to make me proud.
With Christmas parades and other events such as the New Year's Eve Glo Festival around the region being cancelled due to Covid uncertainty, it's even more imperative we try and maintain the Christmas spirit.
We shouldn't let Covid get in the way of safely ensuring Christmas is a happy time.
We should be doing things for others that will mean something and can make a big difference for them.
If you can afford to donate, please do. If you can't, then there are other ways to help others in need - such as volunteering your time.
