Even though Thanksgiving has long since made its way into the top spot as my favorite holiday, Christmas is pretty great, too. And the only reason I get to say so is because of my mother. Growing up in a household with two older brothers and a little sister, it couldn’t have been easy for her to keep things under the Christmas tree for us.

But, not only did she do it, she managed to keep a certain amount of magic in the holiday for us children. Santa always visited us, and in all his mysterious, chocolate chip cookie-eating splendor. If I wanted an A-Team van tent, it was there and fully pitched when I got up in the morning. If I wanted a new gray bike, it was right there under the tree. Even though I had heard strange noises the night of Christmas Eve that sounded a lot like metal cranking and my mother arguing with a wrench, I knew it was Santa behind it all.

And as I got older, the fact that the silhouette of Santa I’d seen one night when I got up to go the bathroom looked a lot like my mother in a red sweater, she still had the ability to convince me that it was Santa and not her that was putting my copy of “John Elway’s Quarterback” for the Nintendo under the tree.

Because she and my dad went through all that effort, both of getting everything four children wanted for Christmas and selling the illusion of the Jolly Old Elf to me and my siblings, Christmas will always run a close second in my list of favorite holidays.

The sad thing about Christmas for me is the realization that while many parents — though more than willing to give the gift of a magical Christmas — simply don’t have the resources to put a little something under the tree for their little ones.

That’s why my absolute favorite thing about Christmas these days is an effort like the Cheer Fund. Started by the Suffolk News-Herald decades ago to help needy residents of Suffolk, the Cheer Fund has been helping parents put some magic in their children’s Christmases by having a little something to put under the tree. And take it from someone who built up some cheap black and red sheet plastic and small plastic pipes fashioned to look like B.A. Baracus’ A-Team van into his own little palace, a little bit goes a long way when you’re a child.

This year, the Cheer Fund is looking to reach even more families by raising $40,000 in this year’s campaign. Working here at the Suffolk News-Herald and watching people bring in donation after donation at holiday time really puts some of that magic back into the holiday that my mother used to create for me.

So, I hope that all of you think back to all those great Christmases your parents gave you and find it in your heart and wallets to give a little something to the Cheer Fund this year.

We’ll leave convincing the children that Santa stopped by up to the grateful parents who benefit from your generosity.