Christmas Spirit - the Lincoln County United Giving Tree Program

12/09/2025

❤️🎄 What a year, Lincoln County! 🎄❤️

Because of the incredible support from our community, 150 families and 390 kids will have a brighter Christmas this year. We are so grateful to everyone who helped make this happen—organizers, packers, shoppers, donors, and all the behind-the-scenes helpers who jumped in wherever needed.

A huge thank you to the Merrill Fire Department and Tomahawk Fire Department for their hospitality, heavy lifting, and steady support. We truly couldn’t do this without you! ❤️

And a very special THANK YOU to our Tree Host Sites for welcoming the trees, helping spread the word, and making it easy for our community to participate:

🌟 Merrill Locations:
• Aspirus Good Samaritan
• Beauty Bar
• Church Mutual
• Culver’s
• Johnson Gifts
• Los Mezcales
• Merrill Enrichment Center
• Merrill Park & Rec
• Our Savior’s Church
• Riverside Athletic Club
• Salvos
• St. John Lutheran Church
• St. Stephens UCC

🌟 Tomahawk Locations:
• Tomahawk Community Thrift Store
• Honeycomb
• Park City Credit Union
• PCA

Merry Christmas, everyone ❤️
Thank you for showing up with such big hearts. We’re already looking forward to next year!

Send a message to learn more

11/18/2025

🎄✨ Christmas Spirit Program – Shop a Tag! ✨🎄

It’s that wonderful time of year when our community comes together to make Christmas brighter for local children. If you would like to shop a tag for a child signed up for the Christmas Spirit Program, tags are now available at the following Tree Host Sites:

🌟 Merrill Locations:
• Aspirus Good Samaritan
• Beauty Bar
• Church Mutual
• Johnson Gifts
• Los Mezcales
• Merrill Enrichment Center
• Merrill Park & Rec
• Our Savior’s Church
• Riverside Athletic Club
• Salvos
• St. John Lutheran Church
• St. Stephens UCC

🌟 Tomahawk Locations:
• Tomahawk Community Thrift Store
• Honeycomb
• Park City Credit Union
• PCA

Thank you for helping bring joy to children in our community this Christmas season. Your generosity truly makes a difference! ❤️🎁✨

(We are no longer accepting applications as it's past the deadline)

Send a message to learn more

11/04/2025

🎁 Lincoln County Christmas Spirit–Deadline Tomorrow! (11/5) 🎄

If your family could use a little extra help making the holidays bright, don’t wait — applications for the Lincoln County Christmas Spirit program are due tomorrow, November 5, 2025!

Eligibility: Children must be 17 or younger, and each child may only be entered once.

📍 Pick up and return applications at:

Merrill Fire Department (110 Pier St)

Merrill Area Chamber (705 N Center Ave)

WJJQ Northwood Radio (81 E Mohawk Dr, Tomahawk)

Send a message to learn more

10/28/2025

🎁 Lincoln County Christmas Spirit – Application Deadline Approaching! 🎄

If your family could use a little extra help making the holidays bright, don’t wait — applications for the Lincoln County Christmas Spirit program are due by November 5, 2025!

✨ The sooner you turn in your application, the sooner it can be approved — don’t wait until the last minute!

This program helps local families facing financial hardship provide gifts for their children during the holidays.

👧 Children must be 17 or younger, and each child may only be entered once.

📍 Pick up and return applications at:
Merrill Fire Department (110 Pier St)
Merrill Area Chamber (705 N Center Ave)
WJJQ Northwood Radio (81 E Mohawk Dr, Tomahawk)

📬 Or mail to:
Christmas Spirit
PO Box 912
Merrill, WI 54452

❓ Questions?
Call 715-500-5066 or email [email protected]

Let’s make sure every child in Lincoln County experiences the magic of Christmas! ❤️🎅

10/13/2025

🎄 Lincoln County Christmas Spirit–Application Process Open!🎁

The Lincoln County Christmas Spirit program helps families facing financial hardship provide gifts for their children during the holidays.

🗓 Applications are due by November 5, 2025.
Children must be 17 or younger, and each child may only be entered once.

📍 Pick up and Return applications to:

Merrill Fire Department (110 Pier St)

Merrill Area Chamber (705 N Center Ave)

WJJQ Northwood Radio (81 E Mohawk Dr, Tomahawk)

📬 Or mail to:
Christmas Spirit
PO Box 912, Merrill, WI 54452

Questions? Call 715-500-5066 or email [email protected]

Send a message to learn more

10/12/2025

Applications are out! If you need help for the holidays please get one and turn it in ASAP! You can find them at the Merrill Chamber office, Merrill Fire Dept, and at WJJQ in Tomahawk. 🎄❤️🎄❤️🎄

09/13/2025

Applications are out if anyone needs assistance this year!
Merrill Chamber and Merrill Fire Dept
Tomahawk WJJQ

12/07/2024

It’s distribution day! This year we helped 148 families/399 kids to have a brighter Christmas! Thank you to everyone that helped pull this off - organizers, packers, shoppers, donators, and especially the Merrill Fire Department and tomahawk fire department for their hospitality and heavy lifting. We couldn’t do this without their help! Merry Christmas everyone ❤️

11/21/2024

What is Christmas Spirit?

Our program is a giving tree program, supplemented by the Merrill Fire Department and United way.

Each season we have applications turned in from parents that could use some extra help and support for the holidays. Those applications are turned into a giant spreadsheet (where we literally make our list and check it twice…Ok, a lot more than twice lol!) which we then use to make tags.

Those tags then go out to the community for people to shop. On each one there is a child with all the info needed for shopping. Some people buy one or two things, some people buy it all. There is no wrong way, we appreciate anything!

Once the tags are shopped they are returned to the host site and during our “pack week” brought to our packing site. That week we turn our area into a very organized workshop. Our volunteers go through each tag and gifts and organize it by family. We try to cover most of the needs for sure, so if something is missing we add it from our stock or put it on our shopping list. We also try to make sure all of the kids in the family are getting equal so we add what we need to accomplish that. We never take away from what someone has bought.

At the end of the week we have everything moved to the fire dept where we distribute to the parents.

This program helps so many people! This year we have 399 kids signed up!

How can you help?

If you want to help out we are in need of tags being shopped. You can see my previous post for those locations. We also accept monetary donations, or Walmart gift cards to be used for shopping for needs that aren’t filled. Our address is:
Christmas Spirit
PO Box 912
Merrill, WI 54452

We also take donations of new items - Winter gear, toys, clothes, books, etc. If you have something you’d like to donate please send me a message and we can work it out!

Thank you for your time and consideration ❤️

11/20/2024

Hello everyone! We are at the point where tags are out in the community! If you can help, please stop at one of these places to get a tag! We have 148 families/399 children to help this year and plenty of tags that need to go out yet and the deadline is fast approaching!

St Stephens
Church Mutual
St Francis
St Johns
The Marc
Our Saviors
PCA
Standard Mercantile
Honeycomb
Park city Merrill or Tomahawk
Riverside athletic club
The enrichment center
Aspirus good Sam
Johnson’s

If you are with a bigger group/business/organization and want more than a couple tags please reach out to me and we can work something out!

*at this time we are not accepting any more applications*

11/12/2024

Hello everyone! We are now at the point of our program where we are getting the tags out in to the community. If you are wanting to help, you can get a tag at:
St Stephens
Church Mutual
St Francis
St Johns
The Marc
Our Saviors
PCA
Standard Mercantile
Honeycomb
Park city Merrill or Tomahawk
Riverside athletic club
The enrichment center
Aspirus good Sam
Johnson’s

If you are with a bigger group/business/organization and want more than a couple tags please reach out to me and we can work something out!

*at this time we are not accepting any more applications*

11/06/2024

Today is the last day to turn in applications!
Pick up/drop off at:
Merrill Fire Dept
Merrill Chamber
WJJQ

🎄❤️🎄❤️🎄