Hey there folks. Surprised to see me again so soon? Well, don’t get used to it. As you may have noticed from the title number, this is a point 5 edition. I usually do these when I’ve got something to say, but it isn’t long enough to earn it’s own number. This is one of those cases.

You know, with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I hope y’all have begun to take the time to stop and appreciate the things you have. We truckers are notorious for whining about our crappy lives (I know I certainly am), but all things considered, being a truck driver is one of the most secure jobs in this country. And in this funky economy, a steady job is as rare as a fully-clothed Miley Cyrus. For the most part, our paychecks put food on our tables all year long, it keeps the family from running around naked (well, except for that weird uncle), and it even manages to put some Christmas gifts under the tree each year. Not everyone is so lucky. Especially when it comes to Christmas.

That’s where Trucking Santas comes in.

I encourage you to learn more about them by visiting their Web site at TruckingSantas.org or, if you’re one of those Facebook weirdos, you can visit them there at Facebook.com/theoriginaltruckingsantas. Be sure to Like them while you’re there. At least that’s what I hear you weirdos do. Basically, Trucking Santas is an organization that helps the less fortunate have a decent Christmas. Well, it does if people step up to the sleigh and help load Santa’s bag with goodies anyway.

That’s where you come in, you cute little elves. We all know how we truckers are looked at by the general public. Needless to say, our reputation isn’t exactly stellar. This, my friends, is a chance to show at least a few people that truck drivers are great peeps.

So here’s the way this works.

Head on over to TruckingSantas.org and read what they’re all about. Next, click on the 2013 Families tab in the sidebar. Here you’ll see a list of the people you’ll be helping, along with a brief description of each family’s situation. Trust me here. After reading a few of these, you’ll realize your life doesn’t suck nearly as bad as you think it does. It really is like a kidney punch to the ol’ perspective. Further down (near the bottom of the page), you’ll see a section titled, Frederick Facility. Have a read and you’ll find out this is a Cerebral Palsy facility in Maryland that the Trucking Santas have adopted. Be sure to have a look at the pictures on the site. These are all heart-warming shots of the happy benefactors of Trucking Santas.

Giving couldn’t be easier. There are 2 ways you can fork over your fundage.

1. You can shop on an Amazon wish list. 

Amazon makes this super easy. Each Trucking Santas recipient or family has their own wish list. You can access the wish lists on Amazon by clicking here or you can go to TruckingSantas.org, click on Current Open Wish Lists in the sidebar, and click on one of the names. That will take you to the Amazon site and you’ll find all the wish lists in the left sidebar. Now just fill up your cart with however much you can afford and checkout as usual. Once the purchase goes through, Amazon will send each item to the correct recipient. Sweet! You can even have the shipper gift wrap your gift if you choose. Like I said: couldn’t be easier.

2. Donate directly and let the Trucking Santas folks do the shopping for you.

If you hate shopping (and what man doesn’t) you’ll find a tab called Donate Directly in the sidebar of TruckingSantas.org. Click that and then find the words “Click here.” Be sure to look closely so you don’t miss it. My crappy old eyes totally missed it the first time, so pay attention. The word “here” will take you to the fundraising site, but it’s really hard to see since the word is purple and the surrounding text is gray. Anyway, once on the site, simply click the ginormous Give Now button, enter the amount you wish to donate, and pay with your credit card, debit card, or your PayPal account. By the way, the fundraising is done through YouCaring.com and you don’t have to have an account or sign up for anything to donate. How’s that for a Christmas miracle?

So there you have it, folks. Now Amazon needs about 2 weeks to make sure everyone receives your gifts in time, so try like the dickens to donate by December 6. If you want to keep tabs on the progress of getting these wish lists filled, you can do your weirdo thing over at Facebook.com/theoriginaltruckingsantas or you can follow Trucking Santas on Twitter. Their username is @trkingsantas. I follow them on Twitter, and I’ve gotta tell you, it’s mighty sad to see all the tweets going by that say that “so-and-so” doesn’t have any Christmas gifts yet. How cool is that?

So c’mon people. Everyone deserves to have a little bit of a Christmas, don’t they? And if the super-chubby dude dressed in red isn’t going to squeeze his fluffy butt down the chimney this year, I think there’s quite a few truckers out there who could easily fill his humongous pants.

*Alright. I’m going to go ahead and thank everyone in advance for helping out with this great cause. And remember, you don’t have to give a lot. Whatever you can spare will work. Every little bit helps. Just make sure your tendency to procrastinate doesn’t trip you up. The deadline of December 6 is creeping up fast!*