Christmas Cheer

Posted On November 20, 2013

Editor’s Note: We got this delightful email from Shelly Snow last week. Shelly, and her partner Peter Bach, are the new Christmas Cheer coordinators.
 

I was ten or eleven when, after years of questioning and plotting, I cleverly worked out a scheme to count the carrots left in the crisper after leaving a bunch out for the reindeer (along with Santa’s milk and cookies, or course) and prove, once and for all, that Santa wasn’t real.  Christmas morning, after all the gifts had been opened, I remembered my plan and, lo and behold, discovered that all the carrots I had left out the night before had made their way back into the fridge.  I was a little smug when I confronted my mother with the evidence.  She told me that Santa had put them back because the reindeer were full from their treats at all the other houses they had visited (obviously I inherited my cleverness from my Mom, who can also think on her feet).  Her statement gave me pause since it was a plausible explanation if Santa and his reindeer really did exist, but, no, I knew that I had figured it all out.
 
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That didn’t stop me from pretending I believed (just in case) and continue to reap the rewards of being on the “nice” list.  Several years later my homeroom teacher recruited the class to help with a task; she had “adopted” a girl and a boy the same age as many of us from an “Angel Tree” and wanted us to help her shop for them.  What evolved was a shopping trip with the girls in the class shopping for the Girl and the boys shopping for the Boy, trying to outdo each other while staying within the budget we had been given.  We had a blast and for several days talked about what we had bought and how much we thought our recipients would like their gifts. 
 
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The following year I got a paper route and knew I wanted to “adopt” a girl of my own.  I loved the warm feeling I experienced while shopping for a child I knew would have only the Christmas gifts I chose to open on Christmas morning.  I continued to do so, year after year, until I moved to Perth-Andover in late 2007.  That year a co-worker suggested we adopt a family through Christmas Cheer here in Perth-Andover.  I was ecstatic that I was able to continue my personal Christmas tradition and contacted Sharon Eagan to adopt my own small family as well.  I remember well how joyful I felt shopping for my family and how I yearned to do more when I saw the rows of boxes lined up in the basement of St. Mary of the Angels.
 
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Christmas Cheer is a phenomenal organization; ensuring over 200 local families have a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings and gifts to open Christmas morning.  The cost to bring everything together is over $10,000 per year.  It can’t be done without the help of the people in the community, whether you choose to write a cheque in any amount you are comfortable donating or would prefer to drop off a new, unopened, toy, or swing by the week of the 16th-20th to help pack boxes, every little gesture is critical to our success.
 
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I was a little nervous when Sharon approached my partner, Peter, and I last year to ask if I’d like to be more involved, or rather take over responsibility of Christmas Cheer, but after careful consideration I knew it would be a challenge I would relish and that I wouldn’t  be alone. .
Because, while a fat, jolly bearded man, in a red velvet suit, does not slide down the chimney leaving gifts, Santa does exist, in each and every one of us.  That’s the real magic of Christmas.  I decided long ago to do my best to ensure no child goes without a gift to open Christmas morning so I do my best to ensure that doesn’t
happen.
 
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I am Santa.  You are Santa.  We all are Santa.

Christmas Cheer applications and contact information are available at the Perth-Andover Post Office.

To drop off a donation, or help pack gift boxes stop by St. Mary of the Angels December 16-20 from 9am-4pm
Thank You & Blessings!