Make the Yuletide Gay...

For twelve days in December join the Ten Oaks Project as we Make the Yuletide Gay in celebration of our programs for children and youth from LGBTQ communities! 

Each day from December 12th to 23rd, we'll feature a simple and inspiring idea (see below) that you can use to - yes you've got it - Make the Yuletide Gay. Then it's up to you to help us spread the word to your friends, family, colleagues and allies! 

How you can get involved: 

Submit your own ideas on how people can Make the Yuletide Gay by e-mail. They can be funny, irreverant, inpirational, real, imagined or simply fabulous. Some examples include:

• Bake a batch of rainbow cupcakes and hand-deliver them to the youth who run your school's GSA.
• Call (or text) a friend you haven't spoken to in a while and tell them how much they mean to you. 

Use this Make the Yuletide Gay image as your social media profile picture. To download a copy of this image, right click on it and select 'Save Image' You can then upload the image to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc.

Use the #YuletideGay hashtag on Twitter to spread the word to your followers. We'll be posting messages on our @tenoaksproject Twitter account. 

Make a donation to our Make the Yuletide Gay Giving Page on CanadaHelps.org - we're hoping to raise $5,000 this holiday season to support our flagship summer programs - Camp Ten Oaks and Project Acorn. You can also use this shortlink to invite your friends and family to make a donation as well: http://bit.ly/yuletidegay

Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season!

Ten Oaks Project Board of Directors

Day 1: Make the Yuletide Gay by telling three young people in your life how wonderful they are. You can do it in person, in an e-mail, in a Facebook message or wall post, on the phone, or even by YouTube video.

Day 2: Make the Yuletide Gay by "celebrating with chosen family. Think of others you may know who are spending the holidays more alone than they might like to be, and invite them to join you. What could be more festive and gay than sharing joy with others?"

Day 3: Make the Yuletide Gay by learning about and taking part in the celebrations and activities of another cultural tradition this holiday season.

Day 4: Make the Yuletide Gay by getting to know your neighbours. Drop by with some baking, a thoughtful card, or an invitation to your holiday get-together.

Day 5: Make the Yuletide Gay by pledging to volunteer. Many organizations rely on volunteers to provide valuable services to our communities. Contact an organization today to make plans to volunteer all year long.

Day 6: Make the Yuletide Gay by giving hugs. Warm hugs. Long hugs. Short hugs. Oprah hugs. Any kind will do.

Day 7: Make the Yuletide Gay by putting on your lederhosen (or play clothes made from drapes) and introducing a new friend to the Sound of Music - it's one of our favourite things!

Day 8: Make the Yuletide Gay by smashing candy canes. Then pour molten chocolate (dark, milk or white) over the whole mess. Refrigerate until firm. Break apart into manageable-sized pieces. Make a new friend and share.

Day 9: Make the Yuletide Gay by inviting friends over for an evening of board games. Everyone brings an old favourite. Sorry! Settlers of Catan. Balderdash. Scrabble. What are your favourites?

Day 10: Make the Yuletide Gay by teaching a friend or family member a favourite song from Camp Ten Oaks. Make it really gay by demonstrating the accompanying movements to said favourite song.

Day 11: Make the Yuletide Gay by surprising friends and family with brunch! French Toast. Omelettes. Crepes. All of the above?

Day 12: Make the Yuletide Gay by adapting your favourite Justin Bieber Christmas Carol into an amazing Camp Ten Oaks song. Happy Holidays to everyone from the Ten Oaks Project! Enjoy!