Secret Santa

Be a Secret Santa this year!! Here in Las Vegas, I round up all my friends and contacts, business and social, and I invite them to take on one or more children or even a family, and be their Santa for Christmas.

It's easy! Just find an elementary school in your community that has children that are (as I grew up) environmentally handicapped, like "at risk" children. Kids that are in very low income homes, or living doubled up, several families to one home. Believe me, they are in your community. The teachers at the schools know who these children are.

Sit with the Principal of the school and get their support. Tell them, you will need a list on the needs of each child in their school that they know, is impoverished, or who's parents are on welfare, or out of work, etc.

Print out a list, per child: School name at the top, year, and shool phone number with contact person. Write the first paragraph to read something like this: "Number of children in home ___ number of adults ____ (get the sizes of the adults for a jacket or PJ's or something, when you follow up with the family via phone, upon receiving their list. Leave a space for the teacher to fill out their own remarks on the status of the family, ie., father is out of work, (or was killed by drive by shooting) or parents are in jail and children live with grandma, etc.

Family name:
Address: Phone # and Phone of relative
(a lot of the time, the phones will be disconnected so an alternative way to contact them is needed.)

Name of child, age, gender, shoe size, jacket size, interest of child, special request from child to Santa. (you can add anything else you want)

List the above informatio per child, numbered 1, 2, 3, and so on, down the page, so the teacher can fill them out. (remember, the teacher knows the situations of these kids ... or, a family member can help)

Usually I can get 6 to 8 children on a page. If you need more room, use a second page (not the back because the school will sometimes copy the pages and the back sides get skipped, thus leaving children off the list). These pages will be given to you, filled out, by the school so that you can distribute the needs of the family, or child(ren) to your Santa friends. When you get all the pages from the school, number the top corner of the pages (this will be your Family numbers) so you can identify the child and address of delivery. Be Sure to put the same family NUMBER on any second pages that may apply to the same family. Make a copy of the page for your Santa or Santa's. You keep the original. As you assign a Santa to a child or children or family, put that Santa's name and phone number at the right column of your page, next to the child assigned, so you are sure that every child is covered, and no-one falls through the crack. Coordinate the Santa's if two or more take on the same family so they can communicate with each other. This avoids one child in the family receiving a bike, skateboard, used computer, new clothes, and toys, while the other may only get a back pack of school supplies and a jacket. Got it?? Try your best to have the Santa's all balance out for the same family. On the other hand, if you have a Santa that wants to pay the power bill for the unemployed mom, that is wonderful too.

I remember Cowboy John, 6'5" handsome guy with an long ponytail, stand at the doorway of a small apartment, where he was delivering groceries to the family of 3 children and an unemployed mother. Mom was not home and the children opened the door and looked up those long legs of Cowboy John and saw grocery bags in his arms and a big smile, they squeeled and as John unloaded his arms on the little table in the kitchen, he sent the older kids to his car to help bring in the bags, he looked on the counter and saw the power bill disconnect notice for unpaid electricity. He picked up the bill, said no-thing to anyone and he paid that families power through the entire winter months!!

You see, there is no end to sharing, in any way that you can. Annually, I have directed the Santa'ing of over 330 children and 60-70 families.
Even the grandparents and parents get a gift. No one is left out.

You can choose to have your Santa's bring the gifts for their children to a central place where you have a "wrapping" party, being sure to put the number that is on the top of the page, (Family Number) on each gift with the childs name of that same page (Family). Stick it tight so it cannot peal off during transportation. This way, if a bag should break open and a gift falls out, you can find the "Family Numbered" large trash bag that also has the family number on it, and put the found gift back in, for delivery. We use large black trash bags, I know that cute christmas colored bags would be nice, but they don't make them strong enough or big enough.

You will need a large space to store the wrapped gifts that are number and in their numbered black bags, if your Santa's do not want to deliver them. (I remember one Christmas where I lost my dog in the stacks of black trash bags through out my home; no-thing but a narrow path, with bags stacked shoulder high) You make arrangements to get a truck to load up all the numbered bags and deliver them with Santa's helpers. Be sure the numbers on the bags are huge!! You have got to read them in the dark if you deliver the gifts at night.

Map out your route for delivery and give a copy of it to the driver of the truck, remembering to load the trucks according to delivery drop offs. That is... you don't want to put the bags for the first delivery in the truck first!! They get loaded last, so they can be first off!! Yup, even I can figure a way to screw that one up, and I have. Ha!

Be sure you stay in contact with the family, letting them know that they have a Secret Santa and ask them if they need any food. You can bet they do!! Talk to the mothers and make sure they will be home at time of delivery, as you do not want to leave anything outside their home. Guess why?? Personal delivery only!!

Shools let out for the Christmas Holiday two weeks before Christmas, so be sure you have all your questions asked of the teachers, before they dissappear for the holiday. Be sure you have the correct address and phone number by calling the home and speaking with the parent, and set up a time for delivery. BE SURE of guiding your Santa's to the right home and most of all, be sure you have a gift for every child in the home. Go over the list with the parents, go over the shoe sizes, etc., and always ask if they need food.

Our City donated $1,000 for food, and a girlfriend and I went grocery shopping for 10 families that were destitute. $100 per family, bought a turkey with all the trimmings (for mom to prepare) and cereal (Tony the Tiger was the cereal of choice for the minorities who did not speak English, they would say Tiger) milk, bread, beans, flour, rice, etc. If you or your Santa's stay in touch with their family, this will be the best experience for all. I have had Santa's that call me in October, wanting the info on a family so they can begin shopping. Round up some unused bikes or skateboards from garages, freshen them up and get them in to the hands of a kid. Use your imagination..... you will FEEL your reward.

One last thing... I remember it was 11:35 PM Christmas eve, and my uncle and I were so tired, having delivered two truck loads and came home with about 10 large black trash bags full of gifts to about 6 families that were not home to receive them earlier in the evening.

Neither of us felt good, we were cold, tired and ached from carrying bags up and down stairs of apartment buildings, and in and out of our trucks.
Gosh, it was so tempting to just say, No More, and stay home in front of our wam fire with the family... AND, we didn't! We drove off into the uncoming hour of midnight, the time that Santa delivers the gifts, for the Hispanic children, at least. As it were, we had the Hispanic neighborhood on our list, we were committed to deliver these last 10 bags. One by one, we delivered them, until we got to the last two. We were cold and with runny noses, my uncle and I got out of the truck. I opened the tail gate as my uncle went knocking on the door, just about 50' from me. As I reached into the back of the truck for the bags I heard this little voice come running up to me. I turned to see a precious little boy, dark hair falling on his forehead, with the biggest dark eyes sparkling at me as he said.... "I knew he would come, I knew Santa would come. I told my Nana that I am not going to bed because Santa is coming and I will wait for him."

My tears just flowed down my cheeks as I bend down infront of him and said..."Yes, Mijo (son), Santa was so busy tonight he asked us to bring these to you because he has a lot of children this year." He answered,... "Yes, I know", and he ran skipping, in front of my uncle back to his apartment, as my uncle carried the two huge bags for this family. I just stood there, crying tears of Love, and said Thank You God, that we did not stay home and wait till tomorrow. This little guy was my Star of David on that beautiful Christmas Eve.

My uncle and I looked at eachother, both with tears flowing down our faces and we said,... "Let's go home."

No-thing can match that feeling. All the Santa's have their own stories of what they saw, how they served, and most of all, they all say... how this experience of being a Secret Santa, has changed them in some way.

Join us!! BE a Secret Santa and orgnize your friends to join in. Right where you are is where you start. If you have any questions, contact me and let's discuss them.

Responding to Miracles!! God Bless you,
Dusty