28.12.2004 The preparations for the New Year celebrations will soon be over. Thanks to lots of people, representatives of organizations and private persons who have helped, there will be enough New Year presents for everybody. It is the third day when members of the Help Group at the Hospital Church of the Protection of Holy Virgin fill bags with gift sets for our little patients. This work is far from simple and very laborious. Each child will receive his or her personal present (and all in all there are about eight hundred children at the hospital). For this purpose, all patients of each department are listed and the age of every patient is indicated. One must also check all children with names that can be both male and female (such as Sasha or Zhenya) or with names that sound strange for Russians, lest a boy should receive a girl's present or vice versa.

And then the most difficult thing begins: to compile each present. Along the rows of the amphitheater of the former hospital conference hall (now our church is there), a chain of squares appears, at first frighteningly white. These squares are empty bags, each so far bearing only a card with the name and age of the child. Each row corresponds to a department. Boys and girls. Now the main thing is not to mix anything up.

Walking along a row for the first time: "A smart toy for a two-year-old... for a three-year-old... educational toys for an age of seven... Creative kit for 10-year-olds... For a girl... For a boy... For a child of 14..."

Now the second pass. Toy cars. Oh, stop, here dolls begin. And here we already have Barbies rather than baby dolls. And what can we give to a girl of 15? Horray, there is Housekeeping Encyclopedia in the boxes from the Moskva bookstore, and also Make a Doll Yourself, and then Decorating Your Home.

Walking for the third time: soft toys. "How do you think, will a boy of six play with a soft toy?" "Six? I think it is still OK for him." "And for a boy of ten?" Finally, we put fluffy roosters (the symbol of the approaching year) into the bags of elder children. Besides, there are mothers as well, and it may be a joy for them.

And several times more: construction sets, books, self-assembly models, markers, modeling wax. And then to look through everything again: isn't anything forgotten? doesn't the neighbor's present look more impressive? To think and add something to a present if it is too humble.

Today is the last day of preparing the presents. On Wednesday morning, on December 29, six (or maybe even eight) teams of Santa Clauses, Snow Maidens and circus actors will arrive at the hospital. And the great day will begin. The main thing here is to invent such routes for the "teams" that they would not meet each other in the passages: the elder children will only laugh if they see this but the little ones may lose their belief in New Year miracles too early.

We thank everybody who participated in providing the New Year presents for the children:

- The Podrugi club of politicians' wives helped in buying presents for the Departments of Marrow Transplantation and General Hematology (these departments are among those that host the most gravely ill children). We are especially grateful to Nina Torshina, wife of Deputy Head of the Russian Council of Federation.

- The PR-Premier PR agency again bought audio players and good headphones and brought them to the children.

- The German Embassy provided presents for children from the Oncohematology Department.

- The Warriors of Spirit organization, which unites former soldiers and officers who served in the "hot spots," provided presents to children from the Departments of Immunology and Genetics.

- The Moskva bookstore sent books for the New Year presents and for the library that works in our church, as well as stationery, textbooks and encyclopedias.

- The Balls and Assemblies of the Third Millennium charity foundation (president Elena Lyukshinova-Luther) sent a lot of marvellous dolls and other toys for the RCCH patients.

- The Slavyanski Dvor real estate agency provided financial help in buying the presents.

- Among our collective benefactors, we should mention the Orthodox Parish of St. John the Baptist in Washington, headed by senior priest Victor Potapov.

Here we just cannot list all private benefactors who brought toys and money to the hospital. There were more than 70 such people, including numerous visitors of our Web site and parishioners of the Cosma and Damian Church in Shubino.

We thank all of you, dear friends!