St. James Basilica leads stocking effort

For the Christmas season, the community joined members of St. James Basilica in their efforts to make Christmas stockings, cards, pictures and letters for deployed military service people, residents of long-term care facilities, students at the Anne Carlsen Center, homebound people and prisoners at the James River Correctional Center.

Eighteen women from the St. James Tabernacle Society filled 107 stockings for service people, and St. John’s Academy sixth-graders wrote letters to them. Velma Yatskis and Arlene Altringer helped add personal touches to the stockings.

Many community organizations and individuals supported the effort this year, including the Knights of Columbus, WalMart, North Dakota Game and Fish and ndhorizons.

Here are some of the letters students wrote to deployed military personnel earlier this year.

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Dear Soldier,

Hi my name is Aaron I live in Jamestown, ND and go to Saint John’s Academy. I am 12 years old and have 3 sisters and 1 brother. Right now there is snow outside and I am happy because I like to play in the snow. I hope the snow stays so I can play and make forts in my yard.

Thank you for all that you do to help America. Also thank you for helping over Christmas. I hope you have a Merry Christmas. I am sure your family is proud of you.

Sincerely, Aaron

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Dear Soldier,

Hi my name is Laura. I am a sixth grader at St. John’s Academy in Jamestown North Dakota. I have three brothers and two sisters. I am the middle child in my family. My brothers are younger and my sisters are older than me. I have a dog and her name is Jingles because we got her on Christmas.

I would like to thank you for serving our country. It would be tough for me to do it but I know you can. I hope your life is praised, because most people don’t have the guts like you do. You are a special person because of what you do. All I know is that we love what you do for us.

I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that you can find some joy in this card.

Sincerely, Laura

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Dear Soldier,

Hi I am Kaitlin. I am 11 years old and in sixth grade. I go to Saint John’s Academy in Jamestown North Dakota. My favorite subject is science. I like this subject because it is interesting and fun stuff to learn about. My favorite sports are volleyball and basketball. My favorite colors are hot pink and lime green. I like to sing and I am in choir. My family has a dog, two cats, a hamster, and two fish, and a horse.

Thank you for everything you have done for our country. All the hard work you guys have done. I could never do what you guys do. What you guys do for our country is amazing. I would be scared to do all that.

I hope you have a good Christmas. Hope you like this card. Thank you for serving our country.

Sincerely, Kaitlin

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Dear Soldier,

Hi my name is Tate. I am a sixth grader at St. John’s Academy in Jamestown North Dakota. I have a large family. I have four brothers, a dad, and a mom. Our favorite football team is the Minnesota Vikings and the Vikings are 6-4 and still going as of November 15th.

I sincerely thank you; you are so brave for serving this country. If I would serve with you I would know I could trust you.

I hope that you have happy holidays and you are safe for the rest of your life.

Sincerely, your friend Tate

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Dear Soldier,

Hi my name is Paul. I am a sixth grader from St. John’s Academy in Jamestown, ND. I am the only boy in my family, I have one sister. I am in football, it is quite fun. My all-time favorite team is the Minnesota Vikings. It is very snowy here, what is it like where you are?

Thank you so much for serving for our country, you are the best. I hope you enjoy this little letter. I know you are dedicating your time and talent to the USA. I don’t know where you are right now but thank you. Thank you and your troop, because I know you guys work to protect our country.

I will also wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, you truly deserve it. I hope you get lots of presents.

Tags: life