A Christmas Story

Once upon a time in the early ‘80s, a young couple with three small children looked forward to Christmas with great trepidation. Father was out of work, Mother washed dishes at the Triangle, so the couple could barely make ends meet, never mind anticipating anything extra for Christmastime. Prospects for a bright, merry holiday looked extremely grim.

Sure, they had a tree - a beat up mess salvaged from the dumpster that resembled a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Yep, they had decorations – homemade cutouts colored by the kids, along with some strings of popcorn, also made by the family. The parents, in dire straits, worried about Christmas morning, as they knew there would be no gifts left under the tree by Santa for their children.

Then the miracle happened. The true spirit of Christmas arrived in the form of friends bearing gifts, and in a twinkling, lives were transformed.

That young mother, Maria Simons Hodge, now a grandmother and living in Crane, explains, “We were really struggling,” she remarks. “We faced a bleak Christmas with nothing for the kids. Then a few days before Christmas in the middle of a snowstorm, there came a knock at the door. Long-time friends from Alexander, Bud and Leona Erickson, stood at the door, and they had brought a horse trailer full of gifts from friends and neighbors in Alexander.”

Hodge and her family received furniture, quilts, home canned food, toys for the kids, and gifts for Hodge and her husband. That Christmas, Hodge truly understood the meaning of Christmas. “It was overwhelming,” she comments. “Totally overwhelming. The whole community got together to give us Christmas. Bud and Leona were as excited as we were, as they truly enjoyed the gift of giving.”

Hodge never forgot that special Christmas. The family eventually got back on its feet, and for the past 18 years, Hodge has done her part to repay that marvelous gift of Christmas that her family received nearly 30 years ago by involving herself in the ABATE toy drive every Christmas.

“I’ve been an ABATE (American Bikers Aiming Towards Education) member for the past 21 years,” Hodge remarks. “Eighteen years ago a handful of us started doing a toy drive. We asked the community for names of families in need, and we bought toys and played Santa. This gave me enormous pleasure, as this was my way of paying back for that very special Christmas we received when my family was struggling.”

Watching the recipients as they received their gifts made all the work and effort involved well worth Hodge’s time. “One year, sat in an alley for two hours. We had put gifts on the back porch and a friend and I sat waiting for the family to get home just to make sure they received their gifts,” she recalls. “Another year we gave a huge stuffed teddy bear to a resident of ROI. The bear was nearly as big as he was, and he was totally thrilled. That bear really made his Christmas.”

ABATE has now joined forces with the Christmas Coalition and Gifts from the Heart to collect toys as this better utilizes resources. “A lot of people began doing toy drives, so we joined forces to make it all work better and to make it easier for everyone,” Hodge remarks. “It increased the number of people involved and we now all work together.”

This year, toys and gifts for those families in need will be distributed on Dec. 17 at the Masonic Hall. Hodge reminds people that even though the toy drive ends on the 16th, people can still donate cash or unwrapped gifts to the toy drive until the 16th, and they can donate cash or unwrapped gifts to the Salvation Army right up until Christmas Eve. “There are always a few families who miss the toy distribution, or maybe there’s a fire or other tragedy,” she says. “The Salvation Army will take care of these people, so if you haven’t donated yet and want to, you can still give a gift from your heart.”

Hodge passionately believes in the ABATE toy drive and throws herself happily into the job of purchasing toys. “I remember all the bad years, but there was always someone there to help us,” she says. “My kids would not have had Christmas without the help from others.”

She continues, “I know the desperation and how hard it is to cope around Christmas with no money, so I really enjoy working the toy drive. It gives me huge satisfaction to know some children will get brand new gifts. It’s wonderful. I’ve seen Christmas from both sides, as the one in need and as the one who can share. Sometimes all a family needs is a hand to help them up.”

Hodge believes her children also learned a valuable lesson about the meaning of Christmas during the tough years they experienced as children. “My children learned the joy of giving,” Hodge states. “Both boys, now in the Marine Corps, work with the toys for tots through the Marines. My daughter in Arizona works with the toy drive in her town.”

She concludes, “It is wonderful. That Christmas in 1982 changed our lives. Now that I can help others, this gift of giving truly makes my Christmas and reminds me of the true meaning of the season.”