It's a holiday with a well-earned reputation for both the expensive and the frivolous.

But Christmas lists for Charlotte's nonprofits are typically short and poignant, often consisting of the simple necessities the rest of us take for granted.

Stuff like toothpaste, soap, dried oatmeal, underwear and hams.

All are desperately needed by charities that find themselves helping record numbers of needy people during this holiday season.

Money, of course, is always welcome. But Tony Marciano of the Charlotte Rescue Mission believes something as simple as a new toothbrush says a lot more.

His mission, which serves homeless people recovering from addictions, is asking for donated bus passes, vitamins and combination locks for its clients, along with canned hams, turkeys and desserts for a big community meal on Christmas.

"The men and women who come to us for help arrive with little or nothing, having burned their bridges and destroyed their relationships," he said.

"It sounds dramatic...but they are shocked that there's still somebody out there who would give them toothpaste. It's more than a gift. It's somebody saying: 'We care about you and we're pulling for you.' "

The Center of Hope shelter for women and children has an even shorter Christmas list: Shoes for boys and girls in kindergarten through high school. Shelter Director Deronda Metz discovered the need one day when she was giving a tour of the shelter, and passed a girl writing a letter to Santa for new shoes.

Of the shelter's 324 homeless clients, 166 are children.

"When I saw the girl writing the letter, I started looking around and noticed all the children needed shoes," Metz said.

"I just thought it was really sweet that her Christmas wish was for something basic. She wasn't thinking about stuff to play with. It's unfortunate, but the children we have here are worried about a place to sleep, food to eat and shoes."

The Men's Shelter of Charlotte has a Christmas list that includes toiletries, men's underwear and socks and hats. It's a list the agency puts out annually, but needs have grown, as records continue to be broken. On Nov. 29, the shelter hit an all-time high of 683 men in one night.

Shelter Executive Director Carson Dean said it's not uncommon for the agency to go through 400 "hotel-sized" soap bars in a night and 2,000 disposable razors in a month.

The shelter is also seeking oatmeal - lots and lots of oatmeal - to fill a severely depleted pantry.

Bob Bishop, who is coordinating the oatmeal campaign, says the shelter avoids asking for more elaborate things because it's clear donors are still recovering from the economic downturn.

"Times are tough at the moment for everybody," Bishop said. "The simplicity of oatmeal is how easy it is. Most people can afford it so anybody can get involved."

New Outreach Christian Center in west Charlotte is also seeking food, specifically for Christmas meals for the poor. Five hundred hams are needed, along with canned vegetables.

The mission expects to serve breakfast and provide sacks of groceries to hundreds of families on Christmas morning. It is also seeking toys for 500 children, from toddlers through age 12.

Mission director Brenda Stevenson said the number of families seeking help is continuing to rise, due to parents who missed deadlines to participate in other holiday programs like the Salvation Army's Christmas Bureau.

"We need help," Stevenson said. "People will start lining up outside our doors at six o'clock on Christmas morning, and we hope and pray that there will be enough to serve them."

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