Funerals are still being held at the Connecticut town where a gunman killed 20 children. Source: AAP
NEWTOWN'S children have been showered with gifts - tens of thousands of teddy bears, Barbie dolls, soccer balls and board games - and those are only some of the tokens of support from around the world for the Connecticut town in mourning.
Just a little over a week ago, 20 children and six school employees were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Twenty-year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, attacked the school, then killed himself. Police don't know what set off the massacre.
Days before Christmas, funerals were still being held on Saturday, the last of those whose schedules were made public, according to the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association. A service was held in Ogden, Utah, for six-year-old Emilie Parker. Others were held in Connecticut for Josephine Gay, seven, and Ana Marquez-Greene, six.
A horse-drawn carriage brought the miniature coffin of Ana to The First Cathedral church in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where 1000 mourners gathered to bid goodbye.
The service included a performance by Harry Connick Jr, who has played with the girl's jazz saxophonist father, Jimmy Greene, the Connecticut Post reported.
Also in Newtown, dozens of emergency responders paid their respects at the start of the service for Josephine at St Rose of Lima Catholic Church, walking through the church and up to the altar.
In Ogden, people tied pink ribbons around trees and utility poles in memory of Emilie.
Her father, Robert Parker, was one of the first parents to publicly talk about his loss and he expressed no animosity for the gunman.
Meanwhile, all of Newtown's children were invited to Edmond Town Hall, where they could choose a toy.
Bobbi Veach, who was fielding donations at the building, reflected on the outpouring of gifts from toy stores, organisations and individuals around the world.
"It's their way of grieving," Veach said. "They say, 'I feel so bad, I just want to do something to reach out.' That's why we accommodate everybody we can."
The United Way of Western Connecticut said the official fund for donations had $US2.8 million ($A2.68 million) on Saturday.
Others sent envelopes stuffed with cash to pay for coffee at the general store, and a shipment of cupcakes arrived from a gourmet bakery in Beverly Hills, California.
The Postal Service reported a six-fold increase in mail in the town and set up a unique post office box to handle it. The parcels come decorated with rainbows and hearts drawn by children.
Some letters arrived in packs of 26 identical envelopes - one for each family of the children and staff killed or addressed to the "First Responders" or just "The People of Newtown". One card arrived from Georgia addressed to "The families of 6 amazing women and 20 beloved angels." Many contained cheques.
"This is just the proof of the love that's in this country," postmaster Cathy Zieff said.
At the town hall building, the basement resembled a toy store, with piles of stuffed penguins, dolls, games, and other gifts. All the toys were inspected and examined by bomb-sniffing dogs before being sorted and put on card tables.
Jugglers entertained the children, a dunk tank was set up outside and the crowd of several hundred parents and children sang an enthusiastic rendition of "Happy Birthday" to one child.
A man dressed as Santa Claus was in attendance and high school students were offering arts and crafts such as face painting and caricatures.
Many people have placed flowers, candles and stuffed animals at makeshift memorials that have popped up all over town.
Others are stopping by the Edmond Town Hall to drop off food, toys or cash. About 60,000 teddy bears were donated, said Ann Benoure, a social services caseworker who was working at the town hall.
"There's so much stuff coming in," Mahoney said. "To be honest, it's a bit overwhelming; you just want to close the doors and turn the phone off."
Mahoney said the town of some 27,000 with a median household income of more than $US111,000 plans to donate whatever is left over to shelters or other charities.
