I suppose the most logical way to write a summary of the 2022 Santa Project would be to do it NUMERICALLY. You know, how many kids wrote letters to Santa, how much Kindness Activist money was used to buy the gifts, etc….
But the thing is, not much
is LOGICAL about the Santa Project…
I guess the most simple
way to give a summary would be to show a couple of the letters kids wrote to Santa
and how Santa replied.
But then, nothing about
the Santa Project is SIMPLE either…
But the 2022 event finally
wrapped up yesterday, January 22, 2023, so it is time to tackle the summary, however
I figure out how to do it. I want to
share the results with you, I owe you a summary, so here goes!!
Deep breath.
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| Some letters to Santa come complete with portraits of the big man! |
Whew – the Santa Project was exhausting!!! I took some time off before it to spend visiting my family in Omaha, and as soon as the plane landed back in Arlington I hit the ground running. The letter writing station opened on November 30th and stayed up until around December 15th. During that time, over 200 people wrote letters to Santa – 212 people to be exact. Compare that to year one (2020) when 111 people wrote. Or to 2021 when 142 people wrote. The project is growing!!
And those 212 people were
not the only ones to receive gifts and letters from the big man at the North Pole. Some special gifts were also given this year
to folks in difficult situations that did not write, but Santa treated them
anyway (17 people). More about that in a
bit.
During the Santa Project,
our home (which we lovingly call the Big Yellow House) is over-run by
it. People stop by the station at all
hours of the day and night and mail their letters in the special mailbox that
goes straight to the North Pole. Amazon
boxes arrive in droves – there were so many deliveries this year that our porch
was constantly covered in a sea of brown boxes and white padded envelopes. Volunteers (called “elves” of course!) pop in
and out everyday to wrap gift after gift after gift. And I sit at my laptop and compose letter
after letter after “will I ever finish???” letter from Santa to respond to the
excited writers. Each letter is unique –
no copy and paste here. Santa answers
their questions. Commends them on their drawing
and writing. Asks them questions. Tells them funny stories. And even gives secret behind-the-scenes
details about the goings on at the North Pole!
But no – taking on this
herculean task isn’t enough! Well, it is
enough, but in my excitement, I forgot that it was, and so added
even MORE to the holiday plate!!! Not
only did we have the annual countdown to Christmas advent calendar running
(which has amazing treats and surprises for kids to come and find in colorful
little cubbies from December 1 – 24….), but I also held craft sessions so kids
could make gifts for a loved one! Ahhhh –
what was I thinking??? (Not to worry – a
detailed “lessons learned” list was created and “HOST GIFT MAKING SESSIONS
BEFORE THE SANTA PROJECT BEGINS” is written on it in bold letters…) Oh, and I also set aside time to prep for and
do an interview with the Washington Post about the project, smack dab in the
middle of it!! The story made the print
edition (and online) on December 10th. I am very honored that Theresa Vargas wrote
the piece and feel that it beautifully captures the spirit of the project. I wish that you could hear the author read it
aloud. I had that honor and it made me cry.
Think about that! I obviously knew the story – I had
interviewed for it and was living it!
But hearing Ms. Vargas’ voice tell me the story over the phone was
magical. You can read it here: Mrs. Claus Is Ready
Now, while this special project
is going on, “regular life” must continue, too.
The Little Yellow Free Pantry must be filled. The Daily Poll must be changed. Bills must be paid. Work must be done. People who need to borrow fancy outfits to
wear to holiday events must be shown the Fancy Outfit Library. It is not like those normal daily activities
PAUSE during Santa season… (Though, in
all honesty, things like cleaning the house, or going to the eye doctor at the
scheduled time, or getting enough sleep – THOSE things were squeezed out of the
calendar to make space for Santa. And
the task of making and writing our annual Christmas cards has still not
happened, a month later! Nor has buying
gifts for my own friends and family!!!)
But back to what you are
here to read about – the SANTA PROJECT!!
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| Great drawing of Santa from Maddie! |
Like all Kindness Activist
projects, this one is not needs based.
This one is MAGIC BASED!
And as always, the letters
from children were amazing, delightful, funny, sad, and every other emotion you
can think of. Some made me laugh out
loud. Some made me cry. And some forced me to take photos of them to
send to the adult connected with the writer to ask for a translation because I could
not read what was written 😊 .
For those new to this
project, a little explanation. We have a
beautiful bright red shiny desk that sits in a place of honor in front of our
home during Santa season. On the desk
are: blank paper, envelopes, writing
instruments (crayons, pens, colored pencils, pencils), and candy canes for
those who finish their letter. The
instructions on the desk tell letter writers to include: their name, their age, if they have been good
or bad this year (this will change for 2023), 3 ideas of small gifts that Santa
can choose from for them, and their adult’s name and phone number. When they finish their letter, they seal it
in an envelope and pop it in the mailbox labeled “North Pole” next to the desk
(we got a shiny new mailbox this year!).
They then put the red mailbox flag up, and can be certain that their
letter will reach Santa!!
In reality, of course, the
red flag means that we have INCOMING LETTERS so we rush out to retrieve
them. Each and every letter sent gets a
reply from Santa (written by me). The
replies are by far my favorite part of the project. They mean more to me than the gifts, because the
letters from Santa are (in my opinion) where the magic happens! And, because this is year 3 of this project,
I have historical information that I can peek at to make the reply letters even
more special!! I can look back at last
year’s spreadsheet and see that, for example, Lissy got Junie B. Jones books as
part of her gift in 2021, and Vahn got wooden toy food to use to practice the
fine motor skill of cutting. That means
Santa can mention those “secret things that only he knows” in this year’s
letter! For example, “Did you read those
Junie B. Jones book I brought you last year??
Weren’t they so funny?!!” or “So Vahn, have you been having fun playing
with the food the elves made for you last year??”. And, because of the historical info, I can
also sometimes see what is happening in the child’s family. For example, if a child asked for a gift for
a soon-to-be-born sibling in 2021, in 2022 I can congratulate them for being
such a great big brother/sister. Or, if
they reported in 2021 that they had difficulty being good, Santa can check in
on that and ask about improvements. Or,
like one letter writer, if they asked in 2021 for a Covid vaccine for children
(an actual request), in 2022 Santa can celebrate with them that the vaccines
are now available! Being able to look
back on past letters to and from Santa really helps to add more magic and, I think,
stretch out the amount of time that little letter writers believe. Many parents have commented that the letters
are their favorite part, too. Some
parents tell me that they are saving the letters from Santa. What an honor!
One big change in the project
this year was opening it up and asking for more HELP. The first year, I did it all alone (well, I roped
by partner David in to assist, but the vast majority was done by me). In year two, I asked for volunteers to help
WRAP GIFTS. I quickly realized how
invaluable that assistance was!! And in
year three, I made an Amazon Wish List and shared it with the public so that whoever
wanted to get involved could grant wishes that were asked for in letters. Oh.
My. Goodness!! I was bowled over by people’s generosity and
support!!!! In previous years, Kindness
Activist funds covered the cost of all of the gifts. This year, GENEROUS DONORS covered the
majority!!! Y’all amaze and inspire
me! The fact that people all around the
country were willing to step in and buy gifts for kids they had never met, to fulfill
wishes from letters they had not even read, blew me away. Seriously, donated gifts arrived in Amazon
boxes every day!! Some had gift slips
with the names of donors, others “Santa-ed” me and just signed the slips “Santa”
or “an elf”. I am still not caught up
with writing all of the thank you notes for those gift donations. Little by little, I am getting them done. This was a very important lesson for me. people.
Want. To. Help.
People want to be kind!!!
Sometimes they do not know where to go to express that desire or how to
do it. Giving them the opportunity to
help fund this project allowed the load to be split – the cost spread out among
many, many people. This freed up
Kindness Activist funds and will allow them to be used in many creative ways
instead of spending such a large percentage of the total fund on the Santa Project.
At the Big Yellow House (aka
the “North Pole”) it is not “one letter/one gift”. Oh no siree.
I would guess that the average letter writer got 2 ½ gifts this year. And EACH ONE was individually wrapped by
volunteer elves who seemed to be in our basement every single day of the project. The presents were gorgeous!!! Each one also had a “topper” – a decorative
item on top – to make them super special.
And each one was tagged and signed from Santa.
As disorganized as it
looks around the Big Yellow House during Santa season, there is some method to
the madness. This year David was in
charge of alphabetizing the gifts so that they could be more easily retrieved
when it was time to give them. He set up
tables all around the house – one held letters A – D, one E – G, you get the picture. There were gift everywhere – on both
floors of the house! It was
magnificent!! Fun fact: the most popular names in our area start with
the letters A – I .
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| This is not close to all of the gifts!! Some had already been picked up, some where still downstairs... This is just when we came up for air and thought, "Hey, we better document this with a photo!" |
I mentioned earlier that some people got gifts from Santa this year even though they did not write him a letter. Those were special cases, like the woman who left a note in the Little Yellow Free Pantry asking for maseca (flour used to make tortillas), oil, and gifts for her children. And the Amazon driver who made delivery after delivery after delivery – her sons got gifts from Santa. And the two strong women who took in a teenager to provide foster care when it was desperately needed – they got a gift from Santa (as did the teen – the teen was showered with gifts from magical donors). And the woman from Guatemala who works cleaning a neighbor’s home – she is a hard-worker, single parent with 6 daughters – THEY got gifts from Santa. And the brother and sister who get a snack and drink at the Little Yellow Free Pantry everyday (because, as the girl explained, “Our mom has enough money to get food, but not snacks”) – Santa brought them gifts, too. And the little boy who was visiting from Canada and walked over with his little friends so they could pick up gifts Santa had left them?? Oh yes, he got a gift. And the kids of a neighbor struggling financially and emotionally – Santa knows. Sometimes letters are not possible when life itself is overwhelming. Santa gets it.
And, like everything in
life, there were some special stories.
One family with 3 kids was going out of town for the holidays, so Santa
was holding their gifts until they returned.
Only, while they were on vacation, their rental car got BROKEN INTO and
the “bad guys” (as reported by the children) stole gifts that Santa (the
other Santa, not this one…) had already given them!! Well, they wrote another letter to
this Santa, and, with some quick communication back and forth with their
mother, the gifts were replaced when they got back to Arlington. They were thrilled!
One adult wrote a letter
that really touched my heart.
Obviously, Santa couldn’t
bring him what he asked for, but David and I tried to track him down. He had written his address on the letter but when
we went there no one was home. And the phone number he gave does not work. But we will
keep trying. Santa can’t give his family
a safe home, but Kindness Activist most certainly can hook him up with
something nice.
One girl who wrote to
Santa is in America as a refugee from Ukraine.
She and her mother are super sweet – quiet, kind, and nice people. They seem relieved to have a safe place to
stay while the war rages on in their home country, but are eager for peace to
come to Ukraine so they can return.
Santa could not put an end
to the bloodshed, but he most definitely granted every other wish this child
asked.
One girl included a gift
for SANTA in her letter - $2!! It was
the sweetest thing and made me cry. This
Santa always roots for the underdog, and the meek and humble kids tend to get
showered with gifts. So not only did
this girl get the Skittles she asked for, she got a lot more.
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| I LOVE that she referenced 3 holidays in her letter to Santa. We live in a very diverse community, and kids of many faiths wrote letters. |
Sometimes the magic extends beyond the letter to Mr. Claus. A little boy showed up one foggy, drizzly evening to write a letter. It was dark and the desk was damp, but we dried it off so he could sit down and compose. When he was finished, he shyly interpreted for his mother, who wanted to ask if it was ok for them to take some items from the Little Yellow Free Pantry. I explained that food is always available and is for everyone, and they should take whatever they need at any time. I went in to the pantry supply area and packed some bags of groceries for them. The mamma was very, very grateful. After we loaded the things in their vehicle, she quietly asked the boy to interpret again. She wanted to know if it would be ok to write a letter to Santa for another child, her grown son with Downs Syndrome. Of course!!! Second letter composed and “mailed”. Then, before they left, she very meekly asked the son to interpret again. Might it be possible, she asked, that I knew where they could get a bed?? It turned out that the family was in desperate need. Mamma had gotten them out of a bad situation, and they had nothing. Because I was already overwhelmed with everything Santa related, I could not take on the task of coordinating and collecting all that was needed. But a volunteer quickly raised her hand, and the community stepped up to support the family. In just a couple of days they had a bed, sheets (they had been sleeping on old mattresses on the floor with no sheets), new pillows, blankets, and other much needed items.
I wish that I could scan
and share loads of letters kids wrote here.
But this story is already long enough, so I will choose just a few to
show you.
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| This child was very PRECISE in his description of his behavior - 85% good! |
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| Agreed! The "elvs" are very cute! |
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| "Art splis" you want, art splis you shall receive! |
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| This child has got to be one of the very kindest in the world. |
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| Yeah for Cheez-Its!! |
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| Girl stop. You had me at DISCO BALL.... |
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| Beautiful drawing! |
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| It's always good when kids DRAW what they want! (At first I thought she was asking for broccoli...) |
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| Envelope addressed to Santa |
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| This one warmed my heart - he explained what his brother wanted, too. Their mom sent a video after they opened the gifts, and he nailed it on the request for his brother! It was perfect. |
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| Sometimes you have to read them ALOUD to figure out the phonetic spelling :) |
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| Another honest report - this letter writer has struggled. His mom provided additional details so that Santa could write a response that might help with some behavior. |
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| I love this letter. She is so honest in reporting her behavior and feelings. Adults could learn a thing or two from her. Also, she asked for a gift for her MOM instead of herself!! |
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| This one cracked me up - under the scratch out he wrote "not this" - just in case Santa didn't understand. |
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| Beautiful self-portrait of a writer |
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| This one was very magical. Her dad rang the doorbell a few days AFTER the letter writing station had closed. He was desperate to find a place just to MAIL this letter to the North Pole that his daughter had already written. I brought the mailbox back out, he brought the child around, and she mailed it. Then we set about making the magic happen! Only, there ARE NO SHORT HAIR MERMAID DOLLS!! So an amazing neighbor who is a stylist gave a mermaid doll a great haircut. And another neighbor donated a beautiful "feder"! |
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| Luckily Santa knows some elves that are great translators.... |
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| This one is addressed "Dear Santa". Something must've happened between mailing THIS, and dropping off the thank you note that follows.... |
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| Isn't she sweet??? |
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| Another very honest letter from a 5 year old who was both good and bad... |
There will always be some wishes
that are impossible for Santa to grant:
-
For me and my friends
to be best friends forever
-
For an end to the
bloodshed in Ukraine
-
A sister
-
Peace of mind and
a home for my family
And just to be clear,
being Santa is by no means a thankless job!
Lots of people express their gratitude.
One parent texted, “Thank you! My
kids loved the letter and present from Santa!
My youngest kept reading the letter the whole morning. You have brought joy to this family!”. Another wrote, “The girls LOVE their gifts
and the thoughtful letters! Bless you.” From another, “Kids were over the moon with
all your kind gifts. Thank you so very
much. God bless!”. One mom texted, “Thank you once more for
making so many lives happier!”. And sometimes
kids themselves drop off thank you notes at our home (to be forwarded to the
North Pole, obviously…).
Some behind the scenes details:
Popular asks for 2022: Lego, Squishmallows, stuffies, Pokemon, Hot
Wheels
Some of my favorite gifts: hot sauce, hoola hoop, Skittles, a short haired mermaid Barbie, art supplies, Play Doh, Hot Wheels garage (it was huge – for 2 brothers – their eyes LIT UP when they saw the size of the box), wooden food, a cool school bus, a garbage truck, a little mamma cat with a zipper in her tummy that when you unzipped it, revealed KITTENS (it was a bit “c-section” looking but very cute), a HUGE Hershey kiss, “treasures or gems” (aka shiny rocks), and Cheez-Its (yes, someone asked for Cheez-Its).
Funniest wrapping: Elf Betsy is an expert wrapper, and she got ahead of me and couldn’t wrap more gifts, because I did not have letters from Santa ready. So, she really took her time on the one gift that was ready: a small Nintendo Switch game. She wrapped it in a box. Then wrapped that box in another box. And that box in another box… And on and on and on. The end result was a BIG PRESENT that weighed very little. I was able to witness the boy come to pick it up, and he looked both surprised and confused…. He had only asked for the one thing, the small game cartridge. Yet here he was getting a big box. I wish I could’ve watched him open it!
KINDNESS ACTIVIST FUNDS
USED: $1561.09
(this includes shipping a few gifts, a new tree skirt for the Community Tree of
Celebration where the gifts were all displayed for pick-up, some ribbons and wrapping
paper, batteries for gifts that needed them, and gifts!) This number would have been SO MUCH HIGHER
without the generous support of people all around the country who pitched in
and granted wishes from the Amazon wish list! Thank you!
Thank yous go out to:
· Countless elves for wrapping tons of gifts
· Donors of wrapping paper, boxes, and ribbon
· Friends who knew we were not eating right and delivered meals
· Gifts of homemade cookies and treats
· Magical elves who delivered gifts to households who could
not come pick them up or who we only had an address for
· Gifts of bottles of wine (aka “elf juice”) that kept
us going
· Elves who heard my pleas to run to Target to pick up gifts
I had ordered and brought them back to our house
· Jessica for making the letters for the new mailbox and
sign
· Adults willing to let the kids in their lives
participate in the magic
· Pantry volunteers who helped out keeping the pantry
stocked when I could not find the time or energy to do it
· Ixi and Ivanna who translated lots of Santa letters into
Spanish
· Vera who translated letters into Ukrainian
· The many, many donors who granted gifts from the Amazon
wish list – because of your generosity, Kindness Activist funds will be able to
be used for many, many more projects and surprises this year!
· Adults who trusted us to take care of your kids while
they made crafts to give as gifts
· Donors who kept food and toiletries coming for the
Little Yellow Free Pantry during the chaos of December
· Heather who helped with the Fancy Outfit Library holiday rush
· Theresa Vargas of the Washington Post, who so eloquently
captured the essence of the project
· Heather, stylist extraordinaire, who gave a mermaid
Barbie a bob and reglued the package so it looked like she came that way
· Parents who sent photos and videos of their kids reading their letters from Santa and opening their gift
· And anyone else who, in my exhaustion, I have overlooked
#ItTakesAVillage
#HolidayMagic
#SantaProject
#KindnessActivist
#BelieveInTheMagic
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