With a sleigh full of gifts
By Bonita Wilborn
RAINSVILLE- The year 2023 has been a special year at MVN. It marks the fifth anniversary of Arlan “Monk” and Sherri Blevins being owners of the Mountain Valley News (MVN) and our sister newspaper, North Jackson Press (NJP).
We sent Santa a request for help to celebrate the anniversary. Since our readers and advertisers have kept us going these five years, Santa had a good idea. “Let’s involve people all over DeKalb County!” he said. So this is what he told us to do. “Everyone loves ‘Secret Santa,’ so let’s stretch that times five.”
Santa reminded us, “It’s better to give than receive.”
We said, “Let’s do it!” So here’s the rules Santa left for us to follow:
- Our part – Two gifts will be delivered to each town/city hall throughout DeKalb County.
- Our part – To give ample time for the game to be completed for our Christmas edition of MVN, the game will begin on November 6.
- Your part – Be the first or second person to stop by your local town/city hall and pick up one of the gifts. Both gifts will be picked up, but to involve more people, we ask that only one go to any given person. Whoever picks up the boxes becomes Secret Santa #1 for that particular box.
- * Santa #1 will not open the box but only open the attached bag and remove the card that says “Santa #1” or matches the Santa # you have.
- * Within two (2) days, anonymously pass the gift on to someone else, preferably not a family member. It doesn’t even have to be someone you know. Be creative and remember our game’s name, “Secret Santa.” Leave it on your neighbor’s doorstep, slip it onto a coworker’s desk, etc.
- * Open the stamped, addressed envelope, accept the gift certificate inside as a token of our appreciation for playing the game, fill out the tracking information (5 simple questions), and drop it in the mail to MVN.
- * Then you’re done. Just be sure to pick up a copy of our MVN Christmas edition to see how far your box traveled before reaching its final destination.
- The second person to receive the box becomes Santa #2, who should follow instructions 4-7 above.
- Santa #2 will pass the box on to Santa #3, who should follow instructions 4-7 above.
- Santa #3 will pass the box on to Santa #4, who should follow instructions 4-7 above.
- Santa #4 will pass the box on one last time… to Santa #5.
- Santa #5 WILL GET TO OPEN THE BOX AND KEEP THE GIFT! But please send the tracking information card to us so everyone can know what you received and when and how the gift was anonymously passed on to you.
So here we go, Santas! We hope you have a lot of fun as we play Secret Santa X5! (If you have any questions along the way, call 256-638-6397.
Mountain Valley News (MVN) is your trusted source for weekly hometown news, serving the vibrant communities of DeKalb and Jackson Counties in the heart of Alabama. We're here to bring you the latest stories, events, and happenings, all available conveniently both online and in print.
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