"I feel so bad. I have spent so much of my life complaining about some of the most trivial things: bad service at restaurants, traffic, bad hair days, the weather," said Danielle Schafer of Madison, Wis. "What a new perspective I have now."

Schafer and a group of friends just got back from a trip to Uganda, where they brought Christmas to the children of a village that has never celebrated Christmas.

"Last year, we were so inspired by what Oprah did with all of the big Christmas parties she threw for the kids in Africa that a group of us decided to do the same thing this year," Schafer said. "Obviously, not quite as big, but we wanted to throw just one, smaller party in the hopes that we could still have a positive impact in our own small way."

Not really knowing where to start or how to make it happen, Schafer and her friends started researching — making phone calls, sending e-mails, asking questions. They collected gifts from friends, co-workers, family members and anyone else who was willing to donate something. After six months of planning, they had picked their village, booked their travel and shipped more than 180 wrapped Christmas gifts ahead of their arrival.

Everything seemed to fall into perfect place. Besides some minor transportation issues, the group found the village, the unopened cargo crates carrying their gifts, and crowds of smiling villagers eager to welcome them. And two days later, there was Christmas in Uganda.

"The party was amazing. We touched so many children that day. I honestly feel like it was the first time they had ever opened a wrapped gift," Schafer said.

"These kids sleep on a dirt floor, they don't have shoes, they are malnourished and they all work so hard to help their families survive. It was heart-wrenching."

Schafer is going back next year — this time to build a fresh-water well.

"We saw so many kids drinking the dirtiest water. They were dying from it, but they still had to drink it. I couldn't believe my eyes," she said.

"This year, we brought joy; next year, we are going to save lives."