There are, after all, 12 days to Christmas.

Twelve days means there are more days to celebrate the goodness of the world, more days to remember what’s really important in life, more days, well, to celebrate Christmas. According to whychristmas.com, the 12 Days of Christmas have been around since before the Middle Ages.

Beginning on Christmas Day, the website notes that the 12 days continue until Jan. 5, also known as the Twelfth Night. A time of celebration, the 12 days each mark a feast day for a saint and/or have different celebrations.

The days are, the website, explains:

Day 1 (Dec. 25) — Christmas Day celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.

Day 2 (Dec. 26) — St. Stephen’s Day celebrates the first Christian martyr.

Day 3 (Dec. 27) — The day pays tribute to St. John the Apostle.

Day 4 (Dec. 28) — The Feast of the Holy Innocents is a day when people remember the baby boys killed when King Herod was trying to find and kill the infant Jesus.

Day 5 (Dec. 29) — St. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century, who was killed in 1170 for challenging the king’s authority over the church.

Day 6 (Dec. 30) — The day pays tribute to St. Egwin of Worcester.

Day 7 (Dec. 31) — The day honors Pope Sylvester I, one of the earliest popes (in the 4th century).

Day 8 (Jan. 1) — The day honors Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Day 9 (Jan. 2) — The day honors St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, two important 4th century Christians.

Day 10 (Jan. 3) — Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus recalls when Jesus was officially “named” in the Jewish temple.

Day 11 (Jan. 4) — St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American saint, who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Day 12 (Jan. 5, also known as Epiphany Eve) — The day pays tribute to St. John Neumann, who was the first Bishop in America.

Whether you are a person of faith or not, having more days to practice the spirit of Christmas has to be a good thing. Kick back and as Christmas nears on the horizon, hunker down to enjoy the holiday not just this week but into the weeks ahead (And, if you want to keep going past the 12 days, I say go for it — and I may just join you).

To help the Lions raise the needed funds to ensure Christmas is merry for all the community’s youth, we’re going to keep the drive going through New Year’s Eve.

Today's generous donation, totaling $12,700, come from the Ambrosiani Pastore Foundation. To date, the campaign has raised $59,628.70 of the $75,000 needed to ensure every child in the community has a merry Christmas.

The Lions want to make sure every child in the community has a merry Christmas — each and every year. While Christmas has passed, the Lions are still working to hit their goal to ensure a merry Christmas is had in 2026. (Much of the funds raised each year goes toward the coming year to help the Lions make the most of each dollar donated.)

To help the Lions attempt to meet their $75,000 goal, the Toys for Tots drive is continuing through Dec 31.

Won’t you join them in making a donation — it doesn’t matter how big or how small — and help the Sandpoint Lions Club reach its goal for Toys for Tots?

Donations can be made at a variety of local businesses, listed below and including the Daily Bee at 310 Church St., Sandpoint, or online at bit.ly/LionsToysForTots.

Each year, the Lions team up with local businesses and residents through Toys for Tots to ensure everyone has a merry Christmas.

Funds raised go toward purchasing new toys for area children — or gift cards for older youth — who live in the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

Every Christmas, the Lions help almost 1,000 area children, from Sandpoint to Clark Fork and all points in between.

Donations may be mailed to the Sandpoint Lions Club, P.O. Box 414, Sandpoint, ID 83864, or dropped into any coin jar around town. Donations should include a note that it is for Toys for Tots and, if you wish to remain anonymous, please mention that in your note.

Donations made by check are preferred. Be sure to include a note with your check indicating that it is a Toys for Tots donation. If you wish to make an anonymous donation, please include a note.

If the donation is being made in someone’s name, be sure to also include a note.

Each day during the drive, donors’ names will be published along with the amount of their donations. A running total will be included to help the community know where the Toys for Tots campaign stands.

If you can, please consider donating. Every penny, every dollar adds up, and if we all pitch in, we can make this, once again, a successful Toys for Tots campaign. Additional donations help the Lions buy ahead and make the most of the community’s generous support.

In Sandpoint, toys and donations can be dropped off at the Bonner County Daily Bee, Mr. Sub, Columbia Bank, Connie’s Cafe, Serv-A-Burger, Mountain West Bank, Pivo Peaks Alehouse, Sandpoint Family Medicine and Urgent Care, and the Bonner County Fairgrounds.

In Sagle, toys and donations can be dropped off at Buckin’ Beans and Encoder Products (in the front lobby, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

In Ponderay, toys and donations can be dropped off at Alpenglow Salon, Walmart, North 40, Columbia Bank, Arnie’s, Better Together Animal Shelter, Community Resource EnVision Center, Litehouse, Elite Tire, Vinnie Todd’s Barbershop, Hoot Owl, Papa Murphy’s and Mountain West Bank.

Information: Sandpoint Lions Club, 208-263-4118, [email protected] or bit.ly/SandpointLions