STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Laughter filled the air as a group of women stood around watching Santa’s elves painstakingly wrap every square inch of two bicycles in blue wrapping paper depicting   whales and dolphins frolicking underwater.

Come Christmas Day a couple of lucky Wood River Valley children will find the bicycles under their Christmas tree. And, hopefully, they will spend just as much time painstakingly tearing the wrapping paper off their new two-wheel steads as the women spent wrapping them.

Another child will tear off the wrapping paper on a scooter and still others will open presents of dolls, “Good Night Stories for Rebels Girls--Inspiring Young Changemakers” books, socks, mittens and a denim jumper with embroidered wildflowers on it.

Anita Braker has been volunteering with the program for nearly its entirety.

All courtesy of the Wood River YMCA’s Holiday Christmas Elves.

Twenty-five groups of five women each—and one group of five men—came together one day last week to wrap presents they’d bought for Wood River Valley families who could use a little help in putting gifts under the Christmas tree this year.

The room was piled high with gift wrap and ribbons, and the counter stacked with bagels and cookies the elves had brought for their fellow elves to nibble on while they worked.

Jackie Flanigan started the drive 10 years ago when, as a YMCA board member, she walked into the Y and saw a Christmas tree ringed with gifts for families being assisted by The Advocates. Might there be more families that need assistance? she asked. Maybe families that fall between the cracks of the Sun Valley Realtors Gives Holiday Baskets and other programs?

Two lucky youngsters should have fun ripping the wrapping paper off these bicycles.

School teachers and others responded with a resounding “Yes,” and the Christmas Elves program was born.

“These are families who, for one reason or another, have fallen onto hard times,” said Flanigan. “And every year it’s different families—many of whom may not end up in the Holiday Baskets program or other programs. I care about the local families and this is a way to give back.”

Flanigan and her right-hand elves, including Anita Braker, Karine Kashen and Chris Turner, collected information about the beneficiaries so the groups could pick out appropriate gifts.

Each of the 26 families were assigned a letter of the alphabet as their information was passed on to the Elf groups.

Lindsay Lyle wraps an Erasable Tracing Book and a weaving project designed to build a child’s hand coordination skills.

Family X, for instance, is a single mother who can’t get enough hours at work to provide for her two children’s Christmas the way she wants to. The 8-year-old boy loves Legos, the color orange, basketball, soccer and books. His 16-year-old brother needs tennis or basketball shoes.

The mother hopes to get a tablet and winter clothing for the younger son and tennis shoes for her older son as he doesn’t have a pair that fits. They also needed bed sheets, and the YMCA will see that they get to go to summer camp free of charge this coming summer.

Elves provided drawing and reading books, musical toys, diapers and a play pen and baby walker for another family with a 5-month-old and an 11-year-old daughter. The YMCA will be providing swim lessons for the family.

Still another family, which recently moved out of The Advocates, asked for a crib for their 1-year-old son and therapy for their daughter, who has been traumatized by abuse. The Y is providing a home camera to ensure safety in the home and free After School for the daughter to ensure she has a safe place after school.

Jackie Flanigan founded the Y’s Holiday Elves program.

The group tending to this family also provided them with Stitch toys, clothing, color books, stuffed animals, diapers, formula and learning games designed for a baby.

Still another couple said they were unable to provide Christmas gifts because their entire paychecks are needed to cover rent. They asked for a monster truck for their 7-year-old son, along with winter gloves and books.

Elves also provide the families with things like gas cards and gift cards for the Gold Mine.

“It’s a wonderful program--I love helping the kids,” said Lyndsay Lyle, who was wrapping educational books for a child who has fallen behind in school because of having to travel to California periodically for cancer treatments.

“If you walk around the room and look at the requests, you start crying,” said Chris Turner. “A couple of times I’ve seen families come in to pick up their gifts and it’s so heartwarming to see the happy looks on their faces. Some of these kids might not have Christmas, otherwise.”

“Sometimes the wish list is more than what we can do, but we try,” said Anita Braker.