THOMASVILLE- The trees are set and adorned with Christmas wish ornaments at the Everett-Milton and Butler Mason YMCA, where Bebe Thedford is heading up the annual Santa Tree program for its 26th year.

“It first started with a couple of kids in our program,” Thedford said. “They had lost a parents and their mom was struggling to make end’s meet. So, as employees with the Child Care Program we took up some money and went and bought gifts for them for their first Christmas.”

Following that first Christmas donation, Thedford started adding more kids to her shopping list, with it eventually overflowing and becoming what is known as the Santa Tree program.

Originally the kids on the Santa Trees were just in the YMCA Children’s Care, but it has since grown to include any child in the community.

“Through the years, people in the community have called me saying they know families who are struggling and asking if there is any way we can help them,” Thedford said. “I always tell them to get me a list of both the kids’ wants and needs and I will put them on the Santa Tree.”

The program now boasts over 25 kids per tree, with a girl’s and boy’s tree being stationed at both the Everett-Milton YMCA and the Butler Mason YMCA.

Thedford explained there are extenuating circumstances when she will add kids to the tree, even once it is already up.

“We’ve had a couple of kids with special circumstances this year,” she said. “We have a couple of kids whose dad just lost his job right here at the holidays that we want to help out. We also have a grandmother who called me; her daughter had intended to put her baby up for adoption, but she didn’t want it in foster care, so she adopted the baby.”

Thedford thought the grandmother’s actions to step in and adopt the child were applaudable, but understood her predicament of now not being prepared to supply the child with gifts at Christmas.

In circumstances such as these, she asks that parents or guardians provide both a wants and needs list.

“We want to get them what they need, but we know how children are and we want them to get something they want as well,” she said. “It’s Christmas; Santa is supposed to bring you great things at Christmas.”

The needs and wants of the kids are then placed onto the back of paper ornaments, where parents and community members can pick an ornament and purchase the item listed.

“Our parents are fabulous at picking ornaments,” Thedford said. “Sometimes these kids get more than they could have ever imagined.”

The trees were put up the Monday following Thanksgiving and still have over 32 ornaments hanging on them.

Those worried about children asking for bigger-ticket items need not worry, as Thedford said the community has always helped with that. One of the major donors to the program has always been the Dixie Bike Club, who used to host a toy drive and donate the toys to the Santa Trees Program. However, since COVID-19, the Club has been providing a check for Thedford and her “elves” to go buy items listed on ornaments that were not chosen.

Once an ornament is chosen, Thedford asks that the purchaser wrap the present and place the ornament on top, so she will know who it is for.

She does understand that not everyone has time to wrap gifts, which is why her “elves” sometimes spend the entire day wrapping gifts for children to have under the tree come Christmas morning.

After the gifts have been brought in, Thedford said she contacts the parent, usually while the child is as school so they can come and get them and hide them.

“We don’t want these kids to know about us,” Thedford said. “For us, all of this is from Santa.”

Thedford does ask that all ornaments chosen are returned by December 19, so she has time to the gifts to their rightful owner. It also gives her time to make last minute purchases in the event someone forgot to buy what was on their ornament.