From Sterling's Secret Santa, A Deluge of Christmas Spirit

By Jacqueline L. Salmon

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

It was a Christmas miracle: toys — hundreds of them — piled outside the doors of Galilee United Methodist Church early Sunday morning when Pastor Wayne Snead arrived. Barbies and Elmos, electronic drum sets and Easy-Bake Ovens, scooters and tricycles, trucks and race cars and dolls. More than any one child could conjure up in a long letter to Santa.

"Please take these presents and fill the hearts of children who have so much less than all of us," said the note from an anonymous Kris Kringle that fluttered in the chilly breeze outside the church in Sterling. "Let all the children know that God loves them and hears their every prayer."

No one knows who the mystery Santa is. This is the fifth time since 1998 that the giver has deposited piles of toys at Galilee United Methodist in the wee hours of a Sunday so they can be discovered by those arriving for early services. And in these difficult economic times, the generous donor left twice as many as ever before, about 500 toys.

"It's overwhelming," Snead said. "It's hard to know how to respond after seeing all of that." It's also, he said, "pretty cool."

It couldn't have come at a better time. The economy is bad, and the need is great. And for many people, wearied by Christmas sales that started in October and the crush of decorating and wrapping and baking, the holiday's magic can start to wane. But somebody, somewhere, remembers what kids' faces look like when they open presents.

Charities and churches that care for the needy say they have been receiving lots of calls from parents looking for help this year with providing those smiles for their children. Snead started contacting other houses of worship and nonprofits Sunday, telling them about the treasure trove.

By yesterday afternoon, more than half of the toys had been given out to organizations that will distribute them to the needy. Yesterday, lists in hand, representatives of various groups waded through the stacks of gifts, which parishioners had moved inside the church after worship services ended Sunday.

Joanne Dietz, minister of music and outreach from Sterling United Methodist, was choosing presents for two families with a total of 10 children, church members who had fallen on difficult times.

She picked up a Dora the Explorer ride-on truck for a child who wished for a Dora toy, a Crayola Glow Station for a child who requested an artist's easel, and a Fisher-Price Animal Discovery Laptop for a 2-year-old who wanted a "noisy toy."

The toys are "such a blessing from God, just as we were getting these requests for assistance," Dietz said.

Baffled church staffers and parishioners have made a game out of trying to guess who the Santa is.

Some possible hints: The first toy donation, in 1998, was left inside the church. But after that, the church went through a renovation, and the locks were changed. Since then, the toys have been left outside. So maybe the Santa is a former staffer or a member of a community group who had a working key until the locks were changed.

The donor also seems to leave a lot of toy musical instruments, causing some to wonder whether he or she is a musician.

This year's toys were left between 10 p.m. Saturday, when the last event at the church ended, and 6 a.m. Sunday, when Snead arrived. There were so many toys that some people wonder whether more than one person would be needed to assemble them all and unload them without being detected.

After that, the clues run out. The notes on the toys are all typewritten, so there's no handwriting to examine.

"We have no idea who it is," said Sarah Calvert, the church's associate pastor.

But Snead thinks he knows the benefactor's motivation.

He imagines that the anonymous Santa wants to wake up Christmas morning, imagining the joy he has brought to so many children.

"I think that's why he's doing it," Snead said. "He must be visualizing what it means to the children."

Tagged: 2008 Holiday Season, christmas, holiday, Santa Claus, Sterling

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