Nothing says it is time for the holidays quite like a Christmas tree.  The sparkling ornaments, the shiny ribbon, the cheer and “hope” that comes along with it are all things our families cherish during the holiday season.  This year, SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center reintroduced our Christmas tree with a new message – A Message of Hope.  Our tree, which is almost tall enough to reach the ceiling, decorated in an array of bright colors, welcomed the kids this season by inviting them to retrieve a Message of Hope from a beautiful chest sitting beneath the tree.  These Messages of Hope were written by thousands of supporters and well-wishers in the St. Louis Community.  The Tree of Hope Campaign was created to give kids something to look forward to each and every day they are were the hospital during the holidays.  Our donors sent in their Messages of Hope along with a monetary gift, generating over $220,000 for our kids.  In addition to those donors came support from several schools in our community.  Cor Jesu Academy, Assumption, Blessed Theresa of Calcutta, Our Lady of Lourdes, Holy Redeemer, St. Ann, St. Justin, Priory, St. Simon's, St. Gabriel's, Collinsville Middle School, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Red Bud Elementary and City Garden Montessori all participated in this program, writing over 5,000 Messages of Hope to our patients. From just after Thanksgiving through the New Year, the children of SSM Cardinal Glennon were encouraged to come down to the atrium and retrieve a message from our chest each day they were in the hospital.  Knowing they would receive a Message of Hope each day gave them something to look forward to during their stay over the holidays.  We hope that more schools and donors will continue to join us in bringing hope to our kids as we continue this new holiday tradition in the years ahead!