Santas Anonymous a family affair for Regina woman

For one Regina woman, donating and helping wrap for Santas Anonymous has become a Christmas tradition.

980 CJME’s Santas Anonymous is underway for the 48th year, helping ensure as many kids as possible have a gift to open on Christmas Day. Barrels are placed around the city where toys can be donated up until Dec. 12.

On Dec. 16, those gifts get wrapped up by volunteers to get ready to send to children who might not get a present.

Roxanne Brown has been taking part in Santas Anonymous since 1998 when her family moved back to Regina from Assiniboia.

She said she was involved with Scouts when she first got involved, getting many of the younger kids to get gifts for the older ones as well.

One of the main reasons she continues to come back every year is because it has now become a family affair.

Brown said she got her niece involved when she was just five-years-old and her nephew joined once he was old enough as well.

“The kids just wanted to go and wanted to go so we just kept going,” Brown told the 980 CJME Morning Show.

She said that her group of wrappers has grown to include seven people with a few others joining in.

Brown brings all her own supplies to the wrap day, including an extra gift.

“I buy up ahead of time 30 pairs of mittens and then we load them up with pens and pencils and erasers, glow sticks and candy canes and every child gets at least one of those,” Brown said.

She also donates old ornaments in case there are not enough mittens to go around.

“It’s a special time of the year and there really shouldn’t be a child that goes without one gift under the tree.”

Santas Anonymous isn’t the only way Brown and her family give back during the Christmas season.

Every year, Brown and her family create Christmas cards for soldiers serving overseas. This year, they created around 300 cards to send out.