For the past few years, we here at The Nerd Is The Word have collected toys all year round to donate to various causes at Christmas. Usually we donate a small portion of what we have collected to Ottawa’s Toy Mountain during the city’s Santa Claus Parade, with the rest going to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (more commonly known as CHEO).
And until they find their way into the hands of deserving kids, we display them beneath our Nerdmas Tree, a Christmas tree adorned with ornaments showing off our favourite fandoms. Whether it was Princess Diana or Optimus Prime, Harry Potter or Despicable Me’s Minions, the Nerdmas Tree is the perfect reflection of everything we love and embrace during the most generous and magical holiday of the year.
But alas, 2020 happened. This entire year has just been one giant buffet of tragedy and suck from the word go. Remember when our biggest concern was when Australia was on fire last January? That seems almost innocent by comparison.
As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, there was no Santa Claus parade in Ottawa this year (or any other city for that matter). And some of the places that collect toys for Big Red aren’t doing so this year-some as a public health precaution and others because they are shuttered (either temporarily or permanently). And in an understandable effort to protect their vulnerable patients, CHEO is not accepting toy donations from the public either.
But adversity breeds determination. You can either choose to roll over or rise to meet the challenge. So we’ve searched for other ways we can guarantee a few more smiles on a few more young faces on the Christmas morning of 2020.
Santa Parade or no Santa Parade, Toy Mountain is still a thing this year. Thanks to various Firefighter groups and an army of volunteers, you can still donate toys at a number of locations throughout the city until December 18th (a complete list can be found here). We’ll be dropping our donation off to the fine folks at Frontline Credit Union this year.
If buying a new (and unwrapped) toy isn’t an option, you can make a financial donation here. There’s even a GoFundMe page you can donate to.
Still want to help out Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario? Excellent. You can donate to the CHEO foundation here.
If you’re feeling extra generous and you’ve got a dollar or two living in your pocket you can spare, you could donate to the Ottawa Food Bank, The Ottawa Mission or The Eastern Ontario United Way (among many other worthy causes).
2020 has been the definition of horrible, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dim. And as 2020 draws to a merciful close, perhaps we can take this opportunity to share what generosity we can, bring a smile to a face or two and indulge in a few of the things that make us feel a little more human.
In the end, isn’t that what the Christmas season is all about?
And if you’re not in a position to help, that’s cool. This year hasn’t been the most co-operative when it comes to indulging the better angels of our nature. Just be kind to each other, play nice and hope for the collective best. Because that’s what Christmas is about too.
