On Christmas Eve last year, one Elisha Tennant found an envelope on her front steps in her home in Edmonton, Canada. It said it’s from a Secret Santa.
When she opened it up, she saw a hopeful poem and a $250 gift card from Walmart. When she realized she got a gift, she started to cry.
She says how heartwarming and touching it felt to be given something like this from a complete stranger. But, she wasn’t the only gift receiver on this beautiful day.
400 Families Get $250 Gift Cards + Hopeful Poems from Secret Santa
According to Tennant, these gift envelopes also appeared on the steps of other homes in the North Glenora neighborhood. A lot of other residents of Edmonton reported that they received the same gifts.
They shared their stories on social media-they were surprised and amazed.
Tennant says this gift came at the right time-during the pandemic, she was laid off and they live only from her mother’s fixed income. This gift made a major difference in how they spent the holidays.
She went grocery shopping the same day she received the voucher. She explained that this will mean a month of groceries for her family.
Among the people who received the gifts are Christina Ignacio-Deines and her family. They saw an envelope on their doorstep too!
What Did the Poem Say?
The poem that was in the envelope had ‘instructions’ in the end. It said ‘whatever it is that you set out to do, remember to just believe in you. Don’t need this? Please pass the baton-for that is the way hope carries on.’
Deines was without work because she’s in the event organization industry and said her husband’s income was the only way they were getting by. So, she decided to pass the baton.
Her first thought was ‘which charity to support?’
They decided to drop off a gift card in the non-profit Bissell Centre that helps poor people get by. They told them their donation will be used to buy socks and undergarments for people at the shelter.
Secret Santa Wants to Stay Secret
According to Deines, some of her neighbors wanted to figure out who the mysterious Santa is and checked their door cameras for clues. Deines on the other hand says the mystery is what makes it appealing.
She likes the idea that somebody out there just wanted to share something with others.
Media outlets later found out that this Secret Santa dropped off 400 gift cards in total, mostly in the west end and in the Alberta Avenue neighborhoods.
The Secret Santa said he hopes the gifts give these people a sense that there’s still some good in the world and a brighter future, not that far away.
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