Local stories make it into Chicken Soup’s book of Christmas miracles
With the holidays comes an increase in acts of kindness, generosity and even, many believe, miracles.
For Calgary author Ellie BraunHaley, not only does she believe in Christmas miracles, she witnessed one first-hand, leading her to write a story about it.
“I felt so touched by all the things that were happening,” said BraunHaley in an interview.
“And the response from the people receiving it touched me so deeply.”
Braun-Haley participated in a community Christmas initiative called The Angel Project. Her role was to deliver turkeys, milk and other food for a Christmas dinner, as well as children’s gifts, all of which were purchased or donated from someone within the community.
The food and gifts were then delivered to families struggling financially, in hopes of providing them with a happy and memorable Christmas.
“The responses we received from the recipients tugged at my heartstrings,” she said.
Braun-Haley said when they arrived at one of the homes, the mother answered the door and asked if they could wait outside while she brought her children upstairs.
It turned out the parcels she was delivering were the only presents this mother’s children would be receiving this year, making it all the more emotional.
“Again, the gratitude was so extreme,” she said.
While Braun-Haley assisted in making a Christmas miracle come true, another Calgary author was the beneficiary of a mysterious Christmas act of kindness.
Janet Seever, along with her family, had been in Canada less than two years after emigrating from Minnesota in 1993.
By virtue of her husband’s health issues, and her son suffering from depression and going through a rebellious stage, the family was experiencing a difficult time as Christmas approached. Unfortunately, they were destined to spend Christmas alone that year, with no money to purchase plane tickets back to Minnesota.
“When you’re new to a country, you feel sort of alone,” said Seever.
Two weeks before Christmas, Seever’s doorbell rang just as darkness began to fall.
When she opened the door, all that was there was a package.
The package contained 12 brightly wrapped presents, each one donning a tag stating on which date to open it. The contents of each gift ended up equalling all the ingredients of a Christmas meal for four people.
Now 20 years later, Seever said they still don’t know who left the package on their porch that holiday season, but they’re forever grateful.
Both Seever’s and Braun-Haley’s stories can be read in full in one of Chicken Soup for the Soul’s most recent publications, A Book of Christmas Miracles.