Each year our wonderful Funnies readers help with a very cool Christmas project. I'm asking you to be a part as well - either with your family, church, youth group, school, etc. It can make a significant impact on those who participate!

Every Christmas morning our family gets up at 4:00 am (0400 for our military friends) and goes to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (Boot Camp) in San Diego. We - and many other folks - deliver patriotic Christmas stockings to each of the 100 sick and injured Marine recruits on base. Our goal is to bring cheer to these special recruits on Christmas Day and to show them how much we support them and stand behind their determination to become a United States Marine.

You can't believe what this does for these guys. They wake up that morning to what will most likely be just another boring day as they wait to heal and return to training or be sent home. When they come back from morning chow and see us waiting there with big smiles and hugs, well, the transformation is amazing.

Check out photos and videos from last year's visit.

Here are comments from recruits and their families about this project.

You can be BIG part of that impact - in a very simple way!

These patriotic Christmas stockings are filled with items that have been donated from various sources. The recruits receive phone cards, envelopes, stamps, note pads, and pens. But the important gift in this stocking is a bundle of letters that we collect from children all over the country. Last year each recruit had 15 letters in their stocking. That's over 1,500 letters!

Would you please help by collecting letters and/or drawings from children of all ages? We also need letters from adults of all ages. The subject can be patriotic, holiday wishes, or even a simple thank you for serving our county. It can be from schools (public or private), Sunday schools, clubs, retirement homes, and just your own family.

And please email, tweet, pin, or Facebook this page with your friends and family, so we can get more folks in on the fun!

Maybe your school, church or organization can make this a holiday project? Following are simple guidelines for the letters:

- Notes, letter, pictures and cards accepted.
- Salutation should be "Dear Recruit"
- Send all the letters/drawings in one package to the address below.
- NO personal return addresses.
- Mark the back of each note with a classroom sticker or stamp with the school address, if they desire possible responses from recruits.
- We ask that you not use glitter.

Please mail your letters by December 10, 2012 to the following address:

Marine Moms Online Holiday Project
C/O Sue Denessen
7982 Linda Vista Rd #62
San Diego, CA 92111-5162

Thanks in advance for your support of our project. We can make the Christmas season just a little better for these recruits, who SO desire to serve our country.

Thanks!
Mikey