Holiday Gifts for Families in Need

(SOS) is thinking of those less fortunate this holiday season by setting up "joy trees" in the village in hopes of collecting gifts.

Both the and will have Christmas trees set up on Wednesday with gift ideas hanging off the branches like ornaments. Residents are encouraged to choose as many items as they wish and return the unwrapped gifts to the Community Center or Village Hall by Dec. 15.

Residents can also bring the gifts straight to the SOS office or St. James Church where they'll be distributed to children under the age of 17 on on Dec. 17.

Below is a list of gift ideas SOS is recommending. However, they are just ideas, so feel free to come up with your own to make Sussex children smile.

• Multi-racial dolls, doll clothing and doll furniture
• Lego sets (under $20)
• iTunes gift cards
• Movie gift cards (theater or Blockbuster)
• Wal-Mart gift cards
• Shopko gift cards
• Games for ages 6 and above (Apples to Apples, Scrabble, Rumikub, etc.)
• Craft sets (beads, jewelry, wood, paint, etc.)
• Puzzles (regular, floor, jumbo or wooden)
• Teen jewelry
• Cosmetics (lotions, body wash, nail polish, makeup etc.)
• Coloring books with markers and other supplies
• Pillow pets and mini-pillow pets
• Inexpensive MP3 players (Wal-Mart and Amazon have 2-gig players for under $20)
• Dress up clothes and/or costumes
• Sports equipment — balls, cleats, gloves etc.