Envelopes marked ‘Secret Santa’ was delivered anonymously to many homes in Edmonton, Canada, containing a poem speaking of hope in dark times and a $250 gift card for Walmart.
On the morning of Christmas Eve, Elisha Tennant received an envelope marked “Secret Santa” on the front steps of her Edmonton home with a poem and a gift card. “It was just very heartwarming and touching that someone would do that,” she said.
Tennant said the white envelopes were also spotted on the steps of adjoining townhouses in her North Glenora neighborhood.
Many other Edmontonians have confirmed receiving the gifts, with some expressing their joy and gladness on social media. Whoever the Secret Santa was also suggested to the recipients that if they truly did not need the gift, they could give it to someone who did:
“Whatever it is that you set out to do, remember to just believe in you. Don’t need this? Please pass the baton, for that is the way hope carries on.”
For Tennant, who got laid off during the pandemic and has a mother on a fixed income, the surprise gift was able to help her family through the holidays. “To have something like this, I mean, that’s a month of groceries for us,” she said.
The selfless Santa’s identity has not been revealed but when asked why he did what he did, he said, “I decided to do it because I know that lots of people have had a really tough year and I had the means to help out,” Santa wrote via email. “I hope the gifts gave people a sense that the world is good and there is a brighter future not far ahead.”