Now that the weather has changed, it’s time to start getting ready for — you guessed it! — Christmas.

Let’s face it. Summer is over. Sheesh, the mercury dropped to 9 C in the wee hours of Friday. There was a while there when you wondered if it might snow in Aberdeen.

All of which means The Daily News Christmas Cheer Fund is accepting applications for its 2012 season.

If you are new to these parts, your Christmas Cheer Fund is preparing for its 11th season. Through the first 10 seasons, you have donated $476,877.68, every penny of which has been passed along to local charities.

During the 2011 festive season, you gave us $82,676 and we passed along every single penny.

Tim Shoults, the publisher in these parts, has given the OK once again – it really is a formality, but I ask every year if we are going ahead – and that means The Daily News will pick up all costs associated with operating the fund, as well as freeing up space in the newspaper for the stories that appear five days a week in December.

If you are involved with a registered charity within our circulation area and would like to apply to receive a portion of this year’s fund, visit our website (kamloopsnews.ca) and click on the Christmas Cheer Fund logo. Read up on the requirements, follow the instructions and get your application in to us before Sept. 30. The successful applicants will be revealed early in November.

Recipients will be selected by a committee comprising Tim Shoults, the publisher of The Daily News; Gregg Drinnan, the sports editor of The Daily News; Scott Huyghebaert of the Kamloops law firm Morelli LLP; Jo-Ann Lovesy of The Daily News’ finance department; Dean Nicholson, senior financial consultant with Investors Group; and, Larry Read, the sports information officer at Thompson Rivers University.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca