Most people’s favorite thing about Christmas is receiving gifts. While the experience always feels exciting, nothing can compare to the joy of giving to those who need it most.
Every year, East Idaho News’s Surprise Squad gets to feel that sheer enjoyment with their yearly Christmas program called “Secret Santa.”
The segment began when an anonymous person donated $1 million to the news agency and wanted to look for individuals who might need help. The donor wished to keep his identity unknown to the public, making the title “secret” Santa a perfect fit.
East Idaho News took the responsibility of looking for a deserving recipient wholeheartedly. And since a million dollars is quite a considerable amount, they needed to be smart about their choices.
In a recent episode, the team decided to surprise a man named Steven with gifts from Secret Santa.
The man, who works at a home improvement store, has six kids ages three to 16 years old. His wife, Rayne, is a hardworking parent, too. Raising such a big family meant that the couple had to work extra hard to provide for their needs.
Unfortunately, Rayne was diagnosed with colon cancer in February. She had to undergo chemotherapy treatments, which drained the family’s savings.
They also needed to buy a special hospital bed for her so she could sleep while sitting up. The bed cost $3,000.
On top of all that, their propane furnace went out. They family needs at least $5,000 to have it repaired or replaced, but since they had a limited budget, they were forced to rely on electric space heaters to keep themselves warm. Now that the dead of winter is coming, this may not be enough.
Despite their problems, the couple faces these challenges with optimism. They never complained. Instead, Steven put all his energy into working hard to provide for his family—a trait that made him worthy of a gift from Secret Santa.
At the beginning of the episode, host Nate Eaton said they had tried to catch Steven several times at the store. Luckily, he was at work during that day to receive his special Christmas surprise.
Turns out, Steven recognized the crew immediately as he had watched a lot of their Secret Santa videos. He knew what they were there for but admitted that he didn’t expect to be chosen as a beneficiary.
After asking about his whole situation, Nate handed Steven his Secret Santa gift. The man opened the box and saw that it was full of gift cards, specifically, gas cards worth $2,000 to cover his fuel expenses since he makes a 45-minute drive from home to work.
The box also held $3,000 in gift cards for clothing and groceries.
And to save the best for last, Secret Santa also gave Steven $5,000 to fix their heating problems! That amount will be enough to have their furnace repaired or replaced.
Everything that Steven received that day will go a long way in helping their family. The unexpected blessing will certainly lighten the load on Steven’s shoulders.
Viewers who have watched this particular episode of Secret Santa were touched by Steven’s gentle demeanor.
“What a wonderful father and spouse. So humble. They will now have a warm home,” commented one.
“There are 2 types of people on this earth those who are humble and those who are about to be!!! You Sir are a fine gentleman and a well deserving soul of these gifts!!!” said another.
We hope this story inspires you to give to someone in need during this festive season.
Watch as Steven opens his Secret Santa gifts in the video below.
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