Spirits are a little brighter at Fairview Assisted Living, thanks to a 7-year-old Santa Claus and a mom's stuffed animal collection. Kelli Phalen's mom passed away in September.
"I haven't been able to clean out her stuff, but she had a ton of stuffed animals," explained Phalen.
Not sure what to do with them, Phalen's co-worker, Crissa Lindly, told her about a woman she'd read about who donated stuffed animals to nursing homes. And that was all the inspiration Phalen needed.
"I got right on the phone with Dave and Heidi (Bozett), I've known them forever, and asked if we could come here (to Fairview Assisted Living)," said Phalen. "And I packed them all up on Sunday and we were here on Monday."
And she enlisted the help of Lindly's son, Bo, who was thrilled to play Santa.
"That made me feel happy because I just wanted to spread joy to everyone that didn't have people that didn't visit them," said Lindly.
Needless to say, the seniors loved receiving their stuffed animals and meeting their young Santa.
"We just all love them," said Fairview resident Laurie Kennedy. "It was a perfect gift this little guy gave us."
"It was just wonderful to see everyone's face and Bo was really the hit of the party, I should say," added Fairview owner and administrator Heidi Bozett. "And we're very thankful for that."
Lindly even came back Thursday to continue spreading Christmas cheer, helping with the entertainment and learning that it's often better to give than receive.
"It made me feel great that I saw all those smiles on their faces," said Lindly.
And Phalen might keep her young Santa busy, as she has more stuffed animals to give away and hopes of making this a holiday tradition.
"We're going to collect them next year and this is going to be an annual thing. And hopefully, he stays young and wants to be Santa every year."
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