Santa's Helpers Dressed for the Float

This year, Andrew and I had the opportunity to help a couple of local businesses with their award winning Christmas Parade Float.  The float is a simple sleigh built onto a utility trailer rigged with lights and music.  Children on the float toss candy, stuffed animals, and beads toward the crowd like most parade floats.  But there is something different about this float.  There are also bags of toys — nice toys like board games, balls, dolls, puzzles, and tea-sets.  Occasionally, the float would stop and the children would go with adult escorts into the crowd and hand out these gifts to children.  What a blessing for these children to learn the thrill of giving.  Andrew who is 13 had a great time helping the younger ones with the gifts, stuffed animals, and beads.  He also walked a good bit of the time handing out prizes during the parade.

There is more.   Jim W. and his friend Kim walked the parade route ahead of time and gave certain needy children a special sign.  They told them when they saw a white truck with a red nose pulling a sleigh to show them the sign and they would get a special gift from Santa’s Helpers.  What the children did not know was that the owners of Jasper Auto Sales and Avid Signs had 20 bicycles and 5 tricycles they wanted to give away.  I had the pleasure of giving three or four of those bicycles to these precious children.  The response of one little boy will always stick with me.  I saw the sign he held, and rode up on a 2o inch bike.  I asked him what the sign was for.  He told me someone told him to show it to the truck and sleigh and he would get a special gift.  When I stepped off the bike and said, “I guess that means I have to walk!” his eyes grew twice their normal size, his mom regained enough composure to remind him to say, “thank you.”  Then he reached across the parade barrier and gave me a BIG THANK YOU HUG.  I cannot wait for next year’s parade.

Our Lord was right, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  Thank you Jim, Paul, Jeremy, Matt, and Wayne for letting Andrew and me participate in your giving spirit.