April Keys was walking down an aisle at the Dollar General Store in Independence, looking for something special for her 7-month-old daughter Harley.
She and her mother, Brenda Keys, were stopped by a gentleman wearing a bright red cap that had the letters ELF embroidered on the back.
ELF stands for Ever Lasting Friend, which the new Secret Santa was to Larry Stewart, the man who created the Secret Santa before he passed away following a long bout with cancer.
“How are the holidays going for you,” the gentleman asked.
April didn’t really know what to say.
Her family was facing some difficult times, but she really didn’t want to tell a stranger in a store about her financial plight.
That’s when he asked her a question.
“Have you heard of Secret Santa?” he asked.
She nodded her head yes, casting a cautious glance at her mother.
“Well, I knew the Secret Santa and he wanted me to continue his work after he passed away,” the Independence Secret Santa said. “And I hope this helps you out this Christmas.”
He then placed a crisp $100 bill in April’s hands. On it, was stamped SECRET SANTA.
Tears began to stream down the face of Brenda Keys as she watched this act of Christmas kindness.
“Oh, my gosh?” said April, “My baby is going to have a Christmas! My baby is going to have a Christmas!”
She leaned over the baby carrier in her shopping cart, hugged Harley and cried out, “Thank you Santa! There is a Santa Claus. My baby is going to have a Christmas. Thank you God!”
Secret Santa didn’t get to witness this Christmas miracle.
He was already back in his vehicle, looking for other people to help during the holiday season.
“My dad asked me the other day if I needed anything for Christmas,” said Secret Santa, who like the original, wishes to remain anonymous, “and I told him some black sox. Anything I want, or need, I can get for myself. But seeing a reaction like that is the best present I could ever get. This is the best day of the year for me.”
Secret Santa and his ELFs, Rick Taylor and his son Ross, hit Buckner, Sugar Creek and Independence Friday morning and created enough memories to last a lifetime.
“I went out with Larry (Stewart) on his final sleigh ride, and this is my third year of doing this,” Santa said, “and this is the best ever. From the first person we helped, to the lady and her baby – the stories just got better and better as the morning went on.”
Secret Santa started his day at the Sunshine Center, greeting parents as they brought their children into the special needs facility.
“That’s just the best way to start the day,” he said, “because you know those folks are facing some tough times.”
He then traveled to Buckner, where a mom and her 5-month-old son, Jacob, were doing some grocery shopping.
When Christian Mallet was asked about Secret Santa, she replied, “I’ve heard of him. But didn’t he pass away?”
She was then handed two $100 bills, one for Jacob and one for her 10-year-old daughter Hailey, who was at school.
The look on her face was one of total disbelief.
“Are you Secret Santa?” she asked, her hand trembling.
Secret Santa nodded yes, adding, “Santa never dies. I want you to remember that.”
Tears began to fill Mallet’s eyes.
“I’m doing my grocery shopping, because that’s all I have money for,” Mallet said. “Do you know that you’ve just made it possible for my kids to have Christmas?”
When she was approached by Examiner photographer Amy Elrod, she grinned through the tears and said, “If I’d have known this was going to happen, I’d have done something with my hair.”
Secret Santa then took off down U.S. 24, looking to spread his wealth to those in need during the holidays.
He saw Mia Stewart walking across U.S. 24 with her young daughter, Jaden.
As they approached Stewart, she slipped on the ice and took a hard fall.
Secret Santa rushed over and helped her up.
When he gave her a $100 bill, she couldn’t believe it.
“I have no money for Christmas,” she said. “I don’t even have a car. I was walking down to sign up for classes at Blue River Community College. I’m a single mom and I want a better life for me and my little girl.”
She glanced at the bill in her hand and said, “We weren’t even going to have Christmas this year. But we are now!”
As Santa’s crew drove off, Jaden waved with delight, as she had been given a Secret Santa coloring book.
“She’s too young to remember this day,” he mother said, “but I will make sure she never forgets it. I know I won’t.”
Jim Smith was getting into his car outside of the Apple Market Store on U.S. 24 when Secret Santa approached him.
They exchanged pleasantries, and Smith walked away with $100.
When Secret Santa appeared next door at the Dollar General he saw Smith, walking into the store, using a cane for support.
“My neighbors don’t have much,” Smith said, “so I came over to buy them a tree and a some gifts for their 5-year-old son. I couldn’t have done it without Secret Santa. Heck, I don’t need anything – but I know people who do. And I’m going to make sure they have Christmas this year.”
Joyce Smith and her brother Dale Williams were looking for a few groceries to help them get through the holiday season.
“I just lost my job,” Smith said, “and we’re not going to have much of a Christmas. We’ve got each other, though, and that’s what’s important.”
When Secret Santa stopped them and gave them a special gift, Smith was stunned.
She couldn’t speak.
Tears streamed down her face.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen her cry,” said Williams, as he took off his glasses to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“You know, my last check was short and we had about $100 to live on for the next month, or so. We’d heard about this Secret Santa, but we never thought we’d see him. He saved Christmas for us.”
Rick Taylor watched the scene play put from across store.
“Man, if that doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, your heart is made out of stone,” said Taylor, a longtime friend of the late Stewart, who has been on countless sleigh rides.
“I know that somewhere Larry is smiling. Oh, is he ever smiling.”
Eastern Jackson County, MO —
