Merry Christmas

Stolen from Chaotic Utopia

Right after I posted this I read this story on one of my blogs. It is what Christmas should be all about.


- Giving of Themselves: Somewhere it is written that it is better to give than to receive, and a Miami couple takes it to heart.
Early Christmas morning, Marielys Blanco will don her red and white Santa hat, Danis Hernandez will grab the list of addresses, and the couple will take a virtual sleighload of clothes, shoes, toys and meals to two dozen migrant children and their families near Florida City.

Friday, they gave clothing and toys to more than a dozen children in an after-school program in South Miami.

''I'm not a churchgoer,'' Hernandez said. ``I believe in God and prayer, but I believe you should give. My wife shares the same values. We're not materialistic.''

For Hernandez, 38, and Blanco, 33, becoming South Florida Santas has brought great joy to a holiday that once brought only stress.

Each year, they extend their influence, adding more children to their list and enlisting family members, friends -- even their bosses -- to share the joy of giving with them.

''We're just normal people. By no means are we rich,'' Hernandez said. He works in a furniture-company warehouse, spending his days in shorts and a T-shirt, lifting heavy objects. She is a legal secretary. A few years ago, after living in a small South Miami studio, they bought a modest one-floor, single-family home, where they stash the gifts for their volunteer effort in their computer and storage rooms.

It all started six years ago.

''I got home from shopping, and I was really stressed out because I didn't know what to get her and I was mad at what Christmas had become,'' Hernandez said. ``I just threw out an idea: Let's just give money to someone who needs it.''

Instead of buying each other the usual gifts -- a new pair of sneakers or workout clothing (both love to exercise) they gave the money to Toys for Tots.

Two years later, Hernandez saw an Urban Ministries advertisement for volunteers to help deliver Thanksgiving dinners. The two signed up.

''I stumbled on a couple of single moms with kids,'' he said. ``They were needy families living in motel rooms with three kids each.''

He couldn't get the sad images out of his mind.

'So I went to my wife and said, `Let's make this more personal.' I called the women and got shirt and shoe sizes for the kids and we went shopping. We also got some toys.''

Blanco put on her Santa hat, and the couple drove their gifts to the motel. Each family received $150 worth of presents.

''We had more fun that Christmas,'' Hernandez said.

Each year since, the number of children on their gift list has grown.

Last year, they persuaded their families to pitch in. 'We started telling them, `Here, get something for a 7-year-old instead of us,' '' Hernandez said.

This year, the couple's gift rooms began to fill up in July when a buddy gave Hernandez a half-dozen used bicycles.

''I fixed them up, and for $40, they're like new,'' he said.

Blanco and Hernandez took their gift list for 53 children to a Ross Dress for Less store and spent four hours shopping for clothes so each child could receive two to three gifts, including a toy, plus family food baskets.

''You wouldn't believe it, but $400 goes a long way at Ross,'' he said.

Friday afternoon, Hernandez and Blanco watched quietly from the corner as the children in South Miami opened their gifts. ''It was just fun to sit back and watch them,'' Hernandez said. ``They didn't need to thank us or anything.''

Fourteen-year-old Joshue Rodriguez was ecstatic to receive a Nike T-shirt and cargo pants.

''The shirt's extra large -- my perfect size,'' he said, smiling.

Rodriguez came to South Florida in 2000 from the Dominican Republic with his mother, who works as a waitress at two Denny's restaurants. His father lives in Maryland with his brother.

''I don't want too much,'' he said. ``I hear kids who want an Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3. I don't need that.''

Lars Gilberts of South Florida Urban Ministries says Danis (pronounced Danny) ``goes above and beyond. We sent him at Thanksgiving with 58 meals to Florida City, way out at about 312th Street. He met families and found houses in bad shape, with no curtains, and the kids with clothes that didn't fit. So he's developing food baskets for moms and gifts for kids.''

Stan Schokley, Hernandez's boss at Blue Leaf, a manufacturer of furniture for hotels, has helped, as well. Schokley calls Hernandez, who manages the warehouse, ``absolutely sincere, completely.''

Schokley and his wife, Stephanie Tyler, worked through their church last year, but this year Hernandez persuaded them to join forces. Tyler's International Design Concepts and Blue Leaf helped with the food baskets as well as individual gifts for children.

''With very little, we can do things that make a big difference,'' Schokley said.