Sub for Santa

Each year my school participates in a Sub for Santa program.  I'm one of three teachers that help coordinate the efforts.  My Peer Leadership Team works with the SBO's to raise money for families in need that might not otherwise receive a special Christmas.  I've been doing this for many years now and every year is a different family, a different amount of money, a different feeling in the school.  I can tell you stories of families who have seen hardships beyond your imagination.  I've seen a grown man brought to tears because all his daughter asked us for was a bed for him to sleep in. (and we got it, thanks to RC Willey).  I've seen a teen mom accept presents moments after she's taken her morning hit.  I've seen mothers collapse into tears in my arms simply because they don't comprehend the enormity or generosity of our students and what we bring to their home.  My favorite was many years ago when a single dad with one daughter came to pick up his gifts.  I handed him a bag and he started to walk out, thanking me profusely for the one bag.  You can't imagine the confusion in his face when I told him to wait, the other six bags were for him and his daughter, as well. :)  He was so humbled and immediately began to ask me what he could do to repay us- did we need extra janitor work?  Could he come in after school and clean some toilets?  I just smiled as I held back my tears and told him No. The best repayment was to go home and enjoy the holidays with his sweet girl.  After he left, I quickly walked myself down to our secretary in the office and cried at her desk.  I love this project!

This year I was having a little bit of a struggle finding my Christmas spirit for our program.  We've started collecting money by having Penny Wars.  Each advisory class is given a jug at the beginning of each day.  Any pennies or checks donated to your class count as positive points.  Any silver or cash counts as negative points.  So the students have a grand old time adding positive points to their jugs and "bombing" other classes with negative points.  My Christmas spirit was lost because there were a few individuals who kept trying to find ways around rules or do things I didn't agree with.  Although I knew we were going to be helping five very deserving families, I just couldn't find the happiness and gratitude I usually feel while we run this.  The money was coming in and we actually ended up raising a record breaking amount of money this year.  But I just wasnt into it.  (doesn't this sound like a Hallmark Christmas movie in the making?)

Shopping day finally came and we piled our kids into the district Suburbans and headed to Wal-mart.  Imagine herding 20 kids through Wal-mart at Christmas.  LOL  good times, good times.  Anyway, we headed back to school and completed the process by wrapping, sorting and labeling every last present. 

I looked at the other two teachers and realized we had once again broken a record by being done before school was out.  The kids were amazing.  It was time to call the families to let them know we were ready to deliver.  The problem was... I've got laryngitis.  I couldn't talk to my families like I've always done.  This is my favorite part!  So I had to rely on some good people to make the calls for me and coordinate times of delivery.  Once we've done that, it becomes a game of stealth and timing to get massive amounts of presents in and out of the school without the students seeing you.  My dear friend, "Debbie", had offered to help deliver this year since I was under the weather.  She's never done it before but its not rocket science.  She coordinated with a couple of families and got to experience what I've received every year I've been doing this:  the overwhelming feelings of gratitude, humility, peace and love when in service to others.  I missed that part.  However, it was just as much fun to get to let someone else experience it for the first time.  I felt my Christmas mojo come back a little as Debbie relayed, quite tearfully, her experience of meeting families in such humble circumstances.  It works out every year.  Somehow it always works out.

Merry Christmas everyone!