‘I’m the real Mother Christmas’
Courtney Hughes, 19, works all year round collecting and wrapping gifts to make other people’s Christmases magical… just like Father Christmas
‘My great grandmother, Elsie Richardson, loved Christmas more than anyone else I’ve ever known.
It wasn’t officially Christmas until we’d made colourful paper chains and decorated the tree together – all the while eating jelly babies, and chatting about her adventurous life.
Elsie, or Granny Nanny – as I called her – lived just a few minutes away from Mum, Dad, my younger sister, Megan, and me in Didcot, Oxfordshire.
Most nights after school, I called in at her wardenmonitored flat. Sometimes taking her groceries, other times just for a chat.
I loved her stories. At almost 80, she’d lived an adventurous life. She’d always enjoyed travelling – she went to Niagara Falls when she was in her 70s!
She had a huge influence on me. Her love of Christmas was infectious, and she insisted you always had to be kind to others. Her favourite saying was, “To be frank, everyone needs help.”
When I was 13, just before Christmas 2012, Granny Nanny became ill. She was diagnosed with stomach problems, and had surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.
It was clear she wasn’t going to be home for the festivities.
That was hard. Granny Nanny was at the centre of all our family Christmas traditions. She liked homemade gifts rather than bought things, and she made cakes and biscuits for her friends.
She always spent Christmas Day at our house. As the oldest person at the table, she had the honour of pulling the first cracker, and she happily wore her paper hat.
I decided that if Granny Nanny couldn’t have Christmas with us, we’d take it to her.
On Christmas Day, Mum, Dad, Megan and I went to the hospital armed with crackers, paper chains and presents. We even took her a plate of turkey and roast potatoes.
Unfortunately, in January, I became poorly myself, and was eventually diagnosed with ME.
I still managed to visit Granny Nanny in hospital a few times a week.
It was sad to see this vibrant lady fading. We were all with her when she passed away in March 2013, aged 84.
Her death left a huge gap in my life. Sometimes after school, I’d set off to her flat, then remember she wasn’t there any more. Months passed. The idea of Christmas without Granny Nanny was painful, but I wanted to do something special in her memory. What would Granny Nanny do? I asked myself. It was obvious… she’d want to help others. I had £250 in my bank account, so I bought presents for all 80 of the residents in Granny Nanny’s sheltered flats. I wore my Santa hat to deliver them. Seeing how much the gifts and a visit cheered them up was priceless. The following year, I decided to do it again.
This time, I contacted the local paper, put appeals on social media and spoke in my school assemblies. I raised £750, which I spent on presents for elderly residents in Granny Nanny’s block of flats.
I did a Christmas tea and cake afternoon, with an entertainer, mince pies and presents.
Seeing how much they enjoyed it made me determined to do the same again the following year, all in memory of Granny Nanny.
Since then, things have completely snowballed.
I’ve started collecting presents all year round. In the two weeks leading up to Christmas, I wrap them, dress as Santa and deliver them to people who need them.
Last Christmas was my biggest yet. I had so many gifts, I couldn’t manage on my own. So I held a wrapping party in our local community centre, and was inundated with volunteers – I joked they were like Santa’s elves!
It took eight hours to wrap 3,000 presents. Granny Nanny would have been so proud to see everyone pulling together. I delivered the gifts to the residents of four hospitals, three nursing homes, a group for young mums, three homeless charities, a special care baby unit and two hospices.
Because I spend all year collecting presents, my friends joke I am like the real Father – or Mother – Christmas. It’s like a full-time job. Although when I’m not being Mrs Christmas, I’m a nursing assistant.
I have to be careful with my health because my ME can flare up at any time.
Christmas 2017 will be my fifth year as Mother Christmas. Since I began, I’ve handed out more than 20,000 gifts, as well as hundreds of food parcels.
Thankfully, someone donated an old shipping container to me last year, so I don’t have to store the presents at our house any more!
Gifts now come from all around the world, all year long.
It’s wonderful to know I’m keeping Granny Nanny’s spirit alive by sharing the gift of giving.’
‘Since I began, I have handed out more than 20,000 gifts and food parcels’