JAMZ family, the calls have been coming in, the messages have been coming in, and I’m excited to finally tell you: registration for the Gifts of Christmas Community Celebration is officially OPEN at madtownjamz.com!

If Christmas is putting some extra pressure on your family’s budget, I want you to hear this. Our community is coming together again to help local families bring some joy home for the holidays.

FPC Live presents the Gifts of Christmas Community Celebration, in partnership with The River Food Pantry, Oliphant Brewing, Madison Reading Project, Madison Festivals Inc., and 93.1 JAMZ!

And I need to give a HUGE shout out to Witkins Realty. Justin and Kelly do so much behind the scenes for our community, including things people never hear about. I couldn’t do Gifts of Christmas without them. Thank you both for continuing to show up and put your hearts into this.

Also on board this year: The Cap Times Kids Fund, The Levy Giving Fund, Sorren Inc., and Turning Leaf Shops of Madison! There are more businesses, organizations, and people helping make this happen than I can name in one break. Please know how grateful I am for every one of you.

Now, let me explain what Gifts of Christmas looks like for the families we’re able to serve.

Parents get to come into Santa’s Toyland and choose multiple brand new gifts for their children. You know what your child likes. You know what they’ve been talking about, what they’re into, and what would make their face light up on Christmas morning. You get to make those choices.

Once you’ve picked out your gifts, our volunteers offer to wrap them for you. While those presents are being wrapped, your family can get photos with Soul Santa, pick out a free hardcover book for every child from Madison Reading Project, and enjoy hot cocoa and holiday treats.

It’s a chance to take a breath, enjoy some time together, and feel the love of your community.

The entire experience is free for families, because our community steps up for one another.

Registration is open now through November 27 at madtownjamz.com. Please read the information carefully before submitting.

And this part is important: you must register your own family. You cannot sign up another family or register your neighbor. You can absolutely share the information and help someone find the website, but that household needs to submit its own registration.

Submitting a registration does not guarantee placement. How many families we can serve depends on the gifts and resources available.

And that brings me to the other half of this announcement.

Families can sign up starting now, but we still have a long way to go to reach our fundraising goals. On average, Gifts of Christmas serves more than 750 children each holiday season. With higher prices, the rising cost of everyday needs, and fewer resources for families to turn to, we need our community’s help.

We’re actively seeking brand new, unopened toy donations and financial contributions. Maybe you can donate a toy. Maybe your coworkers can organize a collection. Maybe your business can contribute or help us reach more people. It all helps us serve local families.

If you’ve got a little room to give this year, please consider helping a neighbor who could use it.

Head to madtownjamz.com to register your family or find out how to donate. And please share this with someone who needs the help or someone who can help make it happen.

This celebration comes from all of us. The community is the real gift.

Let’s make some Christmas joy happen together