The Big Sandy division of Santa's Helpers is sending out an S.O.S. this year: Save Our Stroll. After decades of spreading Christmas cheer, the Big Sandy Christmas Stroll organizers are looking for help putting on the event and keeping the tradition alive. They will be holding a meeting on October 3rd to discuss the organization of this year's stroll. Leslie Gregory, who has been involved in the stroll for nearly 5 years explained: "It's a lot for all of us to do, because we all have full time jobs. And for just us to do it it takes months." She went on to detail how the issue is that the stroll itself has so many smaller jobs associated with it. Any of those roles wouldn't be overwhelming by themselves. However, as it stands, a committee of four people is doing all of them. The real question for this year and the coming years is if they will be able to grow their collection of Santa's helpers or if our Christmas Stroll will become a thing of the past.

Beyond spreading the workload out, the call for help is also driven by a desire to raise the bar and continue to improve the community event. Tracy Schuster explained: "We want to get new people involved that might have some new ideas to make it better... because we're running out of ideas." That sentiment was echoed time and again throughout our conversation. Fresh eyes, new blood, different perspectives, and a shot of holiday cheer are on their list for Santa. The hope is that mixing these ingredients into the process will help bring about new activities and polish up the old ones. Some new ideas from recent years past that they are hoping to see more of are the costume contest, the ugly sweater competition, and the Christmas Cocktail Throw Down

Finally, the addition of new local help will improve the stroll and Big Sandy by creating opportunities for citizens of our town to take ownership of the event. The ladies who have been running the event for years shared their favorite memories from years past. Every one of those memories revolved around the satisfaction they felt seeing their neighbors enjoy the holidays, laughing, celebrating, and the close relationships that the organizers have developed over the years. "It's a ton of fun. It's super rewarding. And I want to see more people involved, especially new people in town."

When I asked the ladies about their favorite parts of the stroll, their faces lit up and the answers came with a side of joy. Tina Cook explained: "We have a lot of good times decorating. We have a ton of fun going to different places and talking to different people." Tracy 's favorite tradition was a little different: "Breakfast with Santa was always my favorite. It's fun to see the kids eyes light up." Leslie exclaimed: "I love watching the kids get prizes at the button drawing is my favorite part." Tina added to her earlier answer: "My favorite part really is the parade. We have a huge turnout and it's always awesome." They all agreed that though the event was a lot of work, they enjoyed the stroll more, because they know that they made it happen for the kids and families of our town. As Leslie pointed out: "It has been work, but it is so much fun on the day of the stroll to see it come together for the town."

There is no shortage of roles that need to be filled for the annual Christmas Stroll. Jobs range from large undertakings like organizing the Breakfast with Santa or running the button drawing fundraiser to smaller tasks like checking that all of the buttons have a corresponding number in the drawing or simply making phone calls.

Organizing the Christmas Stroll isn't all organizing and administrative work. There are a few fun Christmas festivities that take place in the background and are enjoyed by the organizers as a group. The decorating parties, Christmas Cocktail quality control taste

testing, and other holiday fun gatherings are the icing on the Christmas cookie. Beyond the satisfaction of doing something that builds our community up, the work creates an opportunity for the organizers to grow closer to each other.

This S.O.S. is important because the stroll is a part of our community's culture and losing it would be a tragedy. The stroll also brings a large number of shoppers and money through our town to kick off the Christmas season, which is even more vital in these tight economic times. It is also an opportunity. It is a chance to be part of something wonderful. It is a chance to make friends and deepen relationships. It is also a way to give a spectacular gift to your neighbors. Giving the gift of this holiday event to our town is also a chance to experience first hand what the Grinch realized: "What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."