On Saturday evening, I was doing what I usually do – check up on blog feeds, twitter, and the like. And given that it’s nearly Christmas, of course all of the feeds were dominated with… SALE! FREE SHIPPING! BUY ME! LOVE ME! ETC!

However, I found something different admist the noise of consumerism — a post from the Bloggess with a movie reference to when the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes. She described of a giveaway she held for $30 giftcards for those in need who posted a comment describing their situation.

Soon, the need was far greater than the amount of gift cards available to give – and people were writing stories that could break even the coldest of hearts – stories of families who were going to wrap empty boxes, layoffs, or who could not put food on the table or buy any gifts for their children this Christmas.

So I (collectively along with hundreds of other bloggers and fans of social media) posted that I would give a giftcard in the comments, and a few hours later I received my Secret Santa — someone who I’ve never met, but who is in need of some Christmas cheer. [The end result was over 900 gift cards sent to those in need!]

The emails from my Secret Santa nearly broke my heart – it was the story of a daughter who was posting on behalf of her mother, who has been very ill and unemployed, and lives hours away from where she receives treatment.

It’s a story we all hear far too often – high medical bills, poor local medical care, unemployment, and just a need for some hope .

So,  what better way to get people involved than via blogging and social media? This is, in essence, what it’s all about. Being able to coordinate real-time and connect people together to make something happen – not because we have to or our boss told us to – but because we WANT to.

After sending across an Amazon Gift Card, I received an email from my Secret Santa which was so real and relatable that I couldn’t help but cry. A big thank you to the Bloggess for setting this up and reminding all of us what Christmas is really all about.

I actually told my mother about your gift a little while ago.  She didn’t believe me at first, thinking I was giving her something of mine, and covering up.  lol  I convinced her that it was true, and she cried.  So, thank you for that.  : )  Of course, her immediate reaction was to spend it on a gift for me, but she finally conceded to use it for herself.  I filled her in on the whole the Blogess situation, and we had a lengthy discussion about what Christmas is really about.  Thanks for being a part of this.  Amazing.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all you readers of the Techyness.

[Note: the giveaway from the Bloggess has been closed as of 12/20/11 - but keep in mind there are always chances to make a difference in someone's holiday season... there's still time!]

//graphic via theBloggess.com

A little bit of Christmas cheer – Merry Christmas Eve from the Techyness!!!

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a iPhone was stirring, not even a mouse.
The kindles and gadgets were wrapped under the tree with care.
In hopes that @The_REAL_SANTA would soon would be there.

We all know that he has done social media strategy right,
Because of the pressure on him this fateful night.
So the teams worked hard all year,
Watching the networks, even those peer to peer.

So, the twitterati were nestled all snug in their beds,
With visions of replies, re-tweets, and DM’s in their heads.
While monitoring the social web there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.

Away to the window, I flew in a dash,
Tore open the shutters and took out my iPhone- but oh no flash!
Not even the camera could capture the new-fallen snow
As I tried to twitpic the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to my wondering smartphone lens should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, powered by eight tiny reindeer.
As I whipped out my flip cam, and was turning around,
Down the chimney @The_REAL_SANTA came with a bound.

He was outfitted with gadgets, from his head to his foot,
Although the touchscreens were covered with ashes and soot.
He spoke not a word, but updated his status and went back to work,
Uploaded a photo to flickr, downloaded an app, and looked at me with a smirk.

He sprang to his sleigh, and replied to me on twitter,
And away they all flew, those little reindeer critters
As I opened the app on my phone before he drove out of sight,
He sent me a message: “Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

- @amedmunds

But if you want to track Santa, follow his journey on Twitter, Facebook, or on his web site for up to date information on his whereabouts via the NORAD center in Colorado Springs. According to Mashable, the account is being maintained by “Bitz the Twittering Elf.” We all knew elves could twitter.