Most Beautiful Yuletide of My Life
"I made an entry with my girlfriend."
Law student Lee Gwang-heok smiled and said, “The Christmas season shouldn’t be a money-spending period. Instead, I made an entry to look around my neighbors.” Lee is an ‘S-line Santa’ who plays carols on his guitar for this special day.
He and other so called ‘Secret Santas’ each donated 10,000 won to give presents to children. Positively, they have prepared dances, magic, making dolls with balloons and other activities for some time now.
Over 500 people in the Busan region participated in an event entitled ‘2006 Master Plan for Being a Secret Santa,’ including 75 students from PNU.
Being a Secret Santa means it is like paying a secret visit to a child’s home. A Secret Santa personally visits a child in the low-income bracket, offers a present and holds a special party. It is an event that has been planned to give hope and encouragement to isolated children who find it difficult to find any Christmas presents. The event started in 2004 and this year is the second installment of the event. Young people in their twenties and thirties mainly participate and they held surprise parties at homes with poor living conditions in Seo Dong, Geum-jeong district, Bahn-yeo Dong in Haeundae district and Jeonpo, Bujeon, Gaya, Yeonji Dong in Jin district.
At 6:40 pm at Happy-com Children’s House in Bahn-yeo 3 Dong, Haeundae Gu, ten secret Santas presented dance and magic shows which they prepared for the moment and played games, like passing a towel, with fifteen children.
Secret Santa Choi Hyo-seop declared, “Merry Christmas” with a full smile on his face and all the children ran into his arms saying, “Santa’s here”.
Children are there because their parents cannot afford to raise them and some of them are disabled.
Myeong-hee drew a huge circle with her arms, expressing how happy she was. Seong-jae felt lucky to have these surprising Santas and held a box of crayons tight in his sweaty hands.
Child care student Jeong Heh-won said, “I came here to cheer up some children, but I am going back with unexpected happiness. This is the most beautiful Christmas time of my life.”
Law student Kim Ji-heh said, “I was kind of worried when I thought ‘What if the presents we have don’t satisfy kids?’ but the responses were excellent. I am so thrilled. I asked a child what would be her wish and at was emotional to hear her say her father’s good body condition.”
Ahn Heh-young preparation chief of the Busan regional Secret Santa Association stated, “There were only thirty participants last year, but over 500 people are here so I can feel the hot atmosphere. I have prepared this event to create a sharing place for young students and so they could have a chance to meet poor children during this kind of season. I hope that they could solve some social opposite problems.”
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 / 입력시간: 2006. 12.26. 08:29
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