The Santa cause

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/12/2020 (1742 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

During our COVID Christmas, the public health recommendation to only go out for essential reasons and the order to not socialize with people outside the household have hampered the usual chances of spreading joy or sharing a meaningful moments with others.

The smiles shared between change-donor and bell-toting volunteer at a Salvation Army kettle in a crowded mall; the shared oohing and aahing by lineups of onlookers when festively-festooned floats roll by on a decked-out Portage Avenue.; the fuzzy feeling of dropping off a toy at Toy Mountain and seeing it piled on an ever-growing stack of action figures and stuffed animals — all Christmastime casualties.

Winnipeggers, by and large, are staying put this holiday season. But many are still connecting with total strangers all around the globe.

That’s thanks to an online gift exchange that’s been going for 12 years strong: RedditGift’s annual Secret Santa extravaganza.

This year, more than 111,000 Redditors from around the world have signed up — author included — “to spread goodwill and joy to one another through the spirit of giving” and to “shine a light during the holiday season,” as the RedditGifts signup sheet puts it.

For the folks the author connected with, it’s become an annual tradition up there with a big Christmas dinner (this year, big in the portion sizes, not number of people) or watching A Charlie Brown Christmas.

“I think what I enjoy is being able to find the gifts that people aren’t expecting or that they wouldn’t get from anyone else,” said Brian Gilchrist, who is participating for his second time.

“It also harkens back to putting some real time and thought into gift giving,” he continued. “It seems like most people, when they buy gifts for family, are buying from a list or within some narrow parameters… that’s probably what I find most appealing, seeing the thoughtfulness that people put into this. My original giftee last year was so thankful for what I sent, It just makes you feel really good.”

Julian Musto, also participating for the second time, says he loves “the challenge of figuring what someone is about and finding something they’d love to receive.”

Last year, Musto did some “serious creeping,” he said, and found his match’s board game wish list online. His top-wanted game was available on Amazon, and that’s what Musto sent.

“He was absolutely thrilled,” Musto recalled. “I wish I would have saved his message.”

Margie Lucier, a painter who has included a hand-painted ornament in each of the gifts she’s shipped over four exchanges, also enjoys the challenge of finding the perfect gift for her match.

“I love being able to bring joy to someone else and surprise them,” she said.

Sarah Lefebvre has been participating for longer than Gilchrist, Musto, and Lucier — seven years.

“I like bringing a bit of joy to people that are enthusiastic about the exchanges,” she said. “I always loved to do secret Santa at school. It makes me feel more connected to the community, and this was an amazing way to recapture that feeling.”

But Shelley MacPhail has been participating for longer than all of them — since 2011, just two years after RedditGifts launched. She’s shipped gifts to Canada, the U.S., the United Kingdom, and around Europe. This year, her match is from British Columbia.

“I like that I don’t know what sort of gift is coming, where it’s from or who sends it,” she said. “I also think it’s good to trust folks to do what they say they’ll do. I’ve never been let down.”

The number of times they’ve participated varies, but one thing is the same for all: while they generally preferred to talk about the gifts they’ve given, they’ve also received thoughtful gifts that made them feel special.

One that stands out to the stationery and pen fan Gilchrist is a fountain pen with homemade ink from Japan. Last year, Musto received a Google Home Mini.

For Lefebvre, the two gifts she cherishes most pay homage to her Bernese mountain dog, Gif, who died last month.

“The gifters used him as inspiration,” she said. “One was an apron that my gifter commissioned with a picture of my beautiful pup hand-painted on it.”

The apron still hangs in a place of honour in her kitchen to this day.

“The other is a stuffed Bernese puppy that looks so much like him,” she continued. “It is helping my family get through our grief in this trying time. I can never thank those gifters enough. I sent them both another thank you last month, even though the exchanges were five or six years ago.”

Lucier reported that in 2016, she was gifted a “lovely” set of oil paints and palette knives. She had mentioned she was an artist who normally paints with acrylics but that she wanted to try out oil paints, and her Santa delivered big time.

MacPhail said her favourite gift came last year from Toronto — a bag of Kicking Horse Coffee and chocolates from a local shop.

So why was it important to these folks to still participate in 2020, when shopping for non-essential items is way more difficult and there’s so much else to worry about?

It’s clear the practice has taken on an added meaning amid the pandemic.

For Gilchrist — while he admits that part of the appeal for him is searching through local stores and that having to order online is not quite the same — he said “any chance we have to connect with others, especially in this environment, we should take.” He’s going to get items shipped to his house first rather than directly-shipped to his match, so he can still include a handwritten card.

For Lefebvre, she said participating was a way to find some normalcy in a year of uncertainty.

“Among the chaos and noise, I needed to feel connected to the community.”

She noted that she always purchases online anyway, so it’s a safe and non-contact way to “get that familiar connection.”

Lucier said she was looking forward to participating this year more than ever.

“This year has been hard on everyone, especially with us not being able to celebrate the holidays with our friends and family. I want to be able to make someone’s day with my gift, and give them something to look forward to,” she said.

“Plus for me, my holiday spirit this year is pretty bleak. Getting a well-thought-out gift from a Redditor is something I’m excited for,” she continued.

MacPhail said “everyone could do with a little more happiness this year. Everyone needs something to look forward to and for someone, this might be the thing that makes their day.”

Despite the added logistical challenges of these times, some Winnipeggers have even opted to sign up for the first time, such as Doug Portz, despite reporting not being “a big Christmas fan.”

“With the way things have gone in 2020 with the pandemic, this was a way to give a little something to someone I don’t know in hopes of making their day a bit better,” he said. “I think the pandemic had a lot to do with me signing up this year, in that our family was lucky to not take a huge financial hit from COVID, and I know many others have not be so fortunate.”

Portz’s match is a woman from Calgary who enjoys gin, creating original art, and playing guitar. He covered all the bases with his gift of a variety of gin infusions, watercolor art supplies, and a custom guitar pick.

The process of finding something for someone he didn’t know turned out to be “very rewarding,” he said. He liked it so much he even signed up to be a “re-matcher” — someone who also sends a gift after Christmas to a person whose original gifter unfortunately reneged on their obligation.

“I probably went a bit overboard with my gift, but it felt like the right thing to do, and I do believe I am hooked,” he said. “I can see myself participating in the Secret Santa events all year long.”

Karali Ewasiuk is another first-timer. She started using Reddit “out of boredom” this year and was delighted to discover the Secret Santa.

“While I do find it extremely difficult to shop for anything, I still wanted to participate as I am blessed to have worked this entire year (and) I have the funds to provide a gift to someone who may have been down on their luck and needs a bit of a pick me up during the holidays,” she said.

“I’m also an advocate for mental health and I know that even the smallest thing, such as a gift or a card, can be a turning point for someone who may be anxiety-filled or depressed with all the compounding factors that have occurred this year,” she continued.

Her match is a fellow from Ontario who’s an avid fan of Dungeons and Dragons and tabletop games.

To that end, she got him a one-month subscription to Dungeoncrate.com — a role-playing game loot-box site — and a half-dozen bags of different coloured D&D die, along with soap from Selkirk’s Barr Soap and a card from Lorette’s art and stationery shop Paper Canoe.

Ewasiuk said Christmas is about sharing love and kindness with everyone.

“It doesn’t always matter what the gift is but (it’s) about the fact that someone is trying to reach out to give someone else a little piece of happiness.”