The Christmas trees are up, the downtown shops and other local businesses are decorated, even the weather cooled off again Monday, each showing that the holiday spirit is alive and well in the Miss-Lou.

December is often a blur of red, green, silver and gold. In fact, so many activities are going on this month that it’s difficult to keep up.

In addition to all of the fun, however, some serious fundraising is going on, too.

Whether it’s an event aimed at providing money for a year-round program such as the annual Steak and Stake Dinner and Auction of the Boys & Girls Club of the Miss-Lou or something that culminates during the holiday season, money is needed to keep a number of non-profits afloat for another year.

We’re featuring many of those this month in our Season of Wishes series. The first in the series was on the Children’s Christmas Tree Fund, a long-standing Miss-Lou tradition.

Monday’s story featured the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office’s holiday tradition of fixing up bicycles and giving them away to children who otherwise wouldn’t know the wonder of bicycle riding.

That program is a perfect example of a win-win program. The CPSO crews, from Sheriff Randy Maxwell down to the inmates deserve some thanks for their great idea and the work they put into the program. With an estimate of approximately 300 children served by the program, they’ve certainly spread a lot of Christmas cheer in the past 17 years.

As you rush around buying gifts and attending holiday functions try to remember the many agencies that need your help as they help make children smile across the Miss-Lou.