Deadline nears for Best Christmas Ever nominations       

Best Christmas Ever, an organization that serves families that have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own, is still seeking nominations for a family to be the Maricopa beneficiary this year.

The deadline is Monday, Nov. 1, at 11 p.m.

The Minnesota-based charity partners with local leaders and businesses to bless families with a gift package tailored to their unique situations. The organization also provides continuing support to families beyond the Christmas season.

According to local organizer BJ Lingren, a resident of Rancho El Dorado, there are just three rules for nominating a family:

• Families cannot nominate themselves.
• Families must have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own.
• There must be minor children in the home.

“We are looking for people who have been living a normal life, doing great on their own and a tragedy comes and just derails them,” Lingren said, citing cancer, car accidents, house fires and deaths in the family as situations faced by previous award recipients.

She said the rule of thumb for BCE is to deliver 10 gifts per family member. Donors can provide anything from a pair of socks to TVs, and the group has even delivered brand new cars — the gifts all depend on the family’s needs.

The group does not give money directly to families – the funds go toward things like mortgage payments, medical bills, utilities, and other household expenses.

For now, Lingren said the group is more interested in generating deserving nominees than in receiving donations. Nominations of deserving families can be made at BCEMovement.com until Nov. 1. Nominators are asked not to inform the family they nominate.