The Real Meaning of Christmas...

This year I had the wonderful opportunity to be heavily involved with Sub for Santa through my team at Fidelity. Almost everyone on my team of 30 people generously gave $25.00 so we could provide Christmas to some Make A Wish families. We ended up raising over $800.00 and were able to brighten 5 children’s Christmas. I had a blast shopping for all of the toys and wrapping them and it really reminded me what the real meaning of Christmas is. Often we forget Christmas is about being selfless and giving and the experience allowed me to be both.

The first family we helped was the family of Dawn. Dawn’s son Austin (13) has downs syndrome and was recentlydiagnosed with leukemia. Austin has a 9 year old sister named Gabriella and a 4 year old brother named Devin who are very patient with him and sweet. When I called Dawn to tell her we had chosen her to help this Christmas she said “this is the first good news I have received all year.” All of them were so excited when we showed up bearing many gifts and they were incredibly appreciative. Here are some pictures of our drop off with Dawn and her family, as well as a list of things we were able to provide to them.

Austin- Neft N-Strike Stampede Gun, Tonka Ricochet Radio Control Vehicle and a Wii Mario Galaxy game.

Gabriella- Video Barbie, Crayola Color Explosion Glow Dome, Tangled DS game, Hampster Zu Zu pet, The Scoop-A Justin Bieber Story and a Unicorn Pillow Pet.

Devin- Talking Spiderman, Bakugan DS Game, Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker, Monkey Pillow Pet, Fisher Price Cycle Pro.

Dawn: Body Wash Gift set and various body care items.



The second family we helped I unfortunately was unable to capture any pictures of but they were equally appreciative. When Jill and I showed up with all of their gifts, the father Travis gave both of us a huge hug. They are also a Make A Wish family because Gracie, who is 4, has problems with her heart and has had to endure many surgeries. She has a 3 year old brother Tanner, who was adorable. To make matters worse, the father Travis lost his job recently and they lost a baby in October. It was nice to give this family some much needed good news and I loved being a part of this program. Here is a list of things we were able to provide Gracie, Tanner and their family.

Gracie- A coat, gloves, a hat, a Unicorn Pillow Pet, Princess Dress-ups, Princess Shoes, a Dora Doll, Princess Pajamas and a Princess Learning Toy. (Gracie loves Princesses!)

Tanner- A coat, gloves, a hat, a Dog Pillow Pet, a Rumblin Chuck Tonka Truck, a Spongebob memory game, playdough, a Cars toy car, Spongebog Squarepants Season 3 and racecar pajamas.

Travis and Holly- A Walmart gift card, gloves and a hat.

This family was great to help out and they will be granting Christmas to another child at Primary Children’s on Wednesday. A child Gracie knows from the hospital who is currently going through chemotherapy only wants a puppy for Christmas. Gracie’s dog had puppies a few weeks ago so they will be giving one to him. I love when people “pay it forward”.

Merry Christmas everyone!