Submitted
The Elves of Christmas Magic were at it again; bringing a bit of Christmas joy to Hays area Veterans, elderly and housebound folks with no one to remember them at Christmas.
The group started in 2018 when a local gal had the idea to make gift bags for 7 or 8 local Veterans with no one to remember them at Christmas.
While planning on what to put in the bags she got a call from a friend she had not heard from in over 50 years. While catching up she mentioned her idea of the gift bags. Her friend immediately exclaimed, “Oh we have to include the local Nursing Homes!”
Seven or eight gift bags almost instantly became 63 as they decided to include those people receiving home health care. This was the first week of December. There was no way possible for these gals (her friend’s sister joined in) to pay for 63 gift bags! They reached out to the community for help. Local Hays businesses donated as did local residents and even some former residents.
Local Boy and Girl Scouts stepped up to help deliver the gift bags to our local nursing homes. It is still debatable which the residents enjoyed more, the gift bags or the visit from these bright young folks.
And so, the “Magic” of Christmas Magic began.
Each year the number of gift bags has grown. They now included residents of our two elderly high rises and Link who also have no one to remember them at this time of year. The VFW Auxiliary now helps and delivers gift bags to the high rises. Even COVID didn’t stop these “Elves”. The American Legion riders stepped up to replace the Scouts during this time and delivered the gift bags. They are now delivering bags to induvials at their homes. It is quite a site to see these folks roar up in their Harleys, Santa hats on their heads, toting a gift bag for a recipient.
It was something to behold a grizzled old biker as he muttered under his breath, “It’s all worth it.”, after spontaneously being hugged hard by a recipient who couldn’t contain their joy at being remembered.
It becomes difficult at times for “Elves” to hold back tears themselves when an elderly recipient bursts into tears exclaiming how they had not received a gift is so very many years and repeatedly thanks them for remembering them this year.
Last year, the Scouts, now back to delivering gift bags, didn’t stop with just the bags, but also handed out candy bars at the north McDonalds to folks with a heartfelt “Merry Christmas”. They brightened the day for many that day, including themselves.
No longer a group project, this has become a community project.
This year 120 local area residents will be remembered and the group is projecting a need for 132 bags next year and each year the gift bags contents have also grown with this year forcing a move to a larger size bag with the best contents yet.
If you care to donate you can any time of year by dropping off a monetary only donation at Commerce bank in Hays where the group maintains a savings account. 100% of the donations goes to filling the gift bags each year. All administrative costs are borne by the elves themselves.
This year they started giving window decals to everyone who donated $100.00 or more. They encourage you to support the local businesses who have come through for them year after year and honk a hello to any car you see displaying the Elf decal as these are individuals who have also helped. They express a sincere apology to folks who donate less and don’t receive a decal. The decals are expensive to produce and these are gals on small fixed incomes, but they expressed a sincere thank you to these folks and an understanding without them there would be no Christmas Magic.
Local businesses and induvials who earned the decal, many who have supported Christmas Magic from the start are:
Danny Finkel, Farm Bureau Insurance Midwest Energy The Rose Garden Cedar Lodge Dentistry Thunder on the Plains Lifetime Dental Hays McDonald’s Wendy’s Northwestern Printers Eileen Roberts Clinkscale Law Firm Walmart Optical KSN News Auto World Cindy Schmidt ABC Seamless Western Aluminum and Glass Co Women Who Lead Golden Plains Credit Union Tri Central Office Supply M&D of Hays Rev and Mrs. Jerry Jones Linda and Timothy Miller Scott and Terry Dennis Avid Hotel Dr, Michael &Ione Slattery PWC, Inc, Silas and Nicole Hibbs Boor Inc. Marilyn Mader Candy and Mark Ogara Christian Mothers of Catherine Great Plains Dermatology Walmart U-Save Pharmacy Amazing Grace Home Health Care Nancy Leiker The Koshiol Family