There is nothing like the feeling of loading your teens up on Christmas Eve to go serve others. That feeling is magnified when you arrive and are greeted by friends who help reinforce the value of this service.

Having our teen daughters serve with us, is critical and holiday service is held in high regard. Operation Santa is put on by the Pasadena Jaycees, who organizes toy drives, costume cleanings and distributions, and toy delivery prep and execution.

The fruition of Operation Santa comes to pass only after the work we complete that morning. Our job to stuff Santa’s sack for the kids on our delivery list. Once we pack away toys for each age/gender group in the counts listed, they get handed off to a delivery team. Very special to Operation Santa is that these toys are delivered by a fully costumed team that will consist of Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the elves. This team arrives on Christmas Eve and hand delivers the special gifts to these needy families.

The joy of being a part of this experience is why it holds a permanent spot on my calendar, every Christmas Eve.