Traci Taylor is one half of 98.1 The Hawk's Morning Show as well as Brand Manager of Kiss 104.1. She and her family, with help from the Southern Tier Community, have been delivering Christmas cards and small gifts to nursing homes in the Twin Tiers since 2015.

2020 did its best to stop the Making Spirits Bright Christmas Card Campaign. However, a COVID-19 diagnosis, four feet of snow, and a global shutdown weren't enough to stop us from spreading cheer to those who needed it so desperately.

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The horrors that befell residents of our local nursing homes in 2020 was so awful for those of us on the outside to comprehend that I can't even begin to think of what it must have been like for those on the inside, terrified of a virus that claimed fellow residents and locked them away from those they love.

What Is the Making Spirits Bright Christmas Card Campaign?

In 2015, my family started what we thought would just be a little Christmas day tradition for us but once friends heard what we were doing, they wanted to help and they told others and the next thing we knew the Making Spirits Bright Christmas Card Campaign spread like wildfire and became a community-wide event.

What Counties Does the Making Spirits Bright Christmas Card Campaign Cover?

The Making Spirits Bright Christmas Card Campaign grew from a simple Christmas day card delivery to nursing home residents in Broome county to a card delivery that now includes Broome, Tioga, Susquehanna, and Chenango counties. We give all credit to our friends and our community for growing this campaign.

How Many Christmas Cards Were Donated to Making Spirits Bright in 2020?

In 2020, in the midst of a pandemic mind you, our community flooded us with more than TWELVE THOUSAND signed Christmas cards to be delivered to nursing homes to uplift and bring joy to the residents who'd had such a bleak year. In addition to the Christmas cards, community members also donated small gifts for the nursing home staff to hand out to those residents who were especially lonely.

How Can I Help With the Making Spirits Bright?

If you'd like to bring a bit of Christmas joy to a resident of a local nursing home, we invite you to sign a Christmas card or two or three or even an entire box. Your note inside doesn't have to be elaborate. Even a simple, "Thinking of you and wishing you joy this Christmas" signed with your family name is great!

When Is the Deadline To Donate to Making Spirits Bright?

Due to COVID restrictions, we won't be able to hand-deliver cards to residents and cards will need to be dropped off at Twin Tiers area nursing homes well before Christmas so that they can be isolated before being handed out. This means we will need to have all cards and drawings (and even small gifts, if you'd like to give any) no later than Friday, December 3, 2021.

Where Can I Mail or Drop Off My Making Spirits Bright Donations?

If you'd like to help, you can mail your things to:
Traci Taylor
c/o Townsquare Media
59 Court Street
Binghamton, NY 13901

Or, you can drop them off weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. in the labeled box located between the main lobby double doors of Townsquare Media, 59 Court Street, Binghamton, NY 13901.

You can also deliver cards, drawings, etc. to a Townsquare Media employee who will be stationed inside the RV in the parking lot of Weis Markets on Upper Front Street in Binghamton for the Food-a-Bago Food Drive during the week of November 1, 2021 (click here for Food-a-Bago times).

Making Spirits Bright Christmas Card Tips

  • Do not address the card to anyone in particular. You could write something like: “Hi there!”, “Hello!”, “Dear Friend” or “Hello, Friend.”
  • Please make sure to sign the card!
  • Please do not put a date on the card.
  • If possible, please avoid writing in cursive and write in large print so that the card is easy for the recipient to read.

Can I Help Deliver Making Spirits Bright Items to Twin Tiers Nursing Homes?

If you have some free time and wouldn't mind giving up a few hours during the week or on the weekend in December to help deliver bags of cards and gifts to nursing homes in either Broome, Tioga, Susquehanna, or Chenango county and are able to pick up a list of nursing homes and labeled bags of pre-sorted cards and gifts at Townsquare Media in downtown Binghamton, please send an email to: Traci.Taylor@townsquaremedia.com.

Look Back at the Making Spirits Bright Christmas Card Campaign Through the Years

Traci Taylor is one half of 98.1 The Hawk's Morning Show as well as Brand Manager of Kiss 104.1. She and her family, with help from the Southern Tier Community, have been delivering Christmas cards and small gifts to nursing homes in the Twin Tiers since 2015.

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