A Christmas Tradition

Jim and Ginny Romans still weep at the thought of it.

It was Christmas Day two years ago, and the Laguna Hills couple were playing Mr. and Mrs. Claus as they distributed gifts to abused children.

When they walked through the door at one shelter, a 2-year-old boy with big eyes latched onto Jim’s legs.

“He held tight as I gave out the gifts,” said Jim, his voice breaking. “He was more interested in me than his present. And he held on when I tried to leave. He was a little, clinging vine. It tears your heart.”

The moment was so painful for Ginny that she had to turn away. “I knew the boy wanted to continue the magic, the happiness, a few minutes longer,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “Moments like that are so tough I get choked up. But I can’t let the kids see Mrs. Claus cry.”

For the past five years, the Romanses, their grown daughters, Cheryl and Shelly, and a few friends have risen early on Christmas to dress for their favorite adventure of the year. Jim steps into a Santa suit, Ginny into a homemade, fur-trimmed frock. The young women dress as elves.

By noon today, the Romanses and friends--who call themselves Santa & Co.--will have distributed 60 gifts to children in shelters sponsored by COPES--Child or Parental Emergency Services Inc., and Little People’s World, both of Santa Ana.

In a country where child abuse has reached epidemic proportions--3,000 children suffer some form of abuse monthly in Orange County, say reports--the Romanses have found a way to make a difference.

“It’s worth everything in the world just to see the looks on their faces,” said Jim, a maintenance engineer. “When we pull up, they have their little noses pressed against the window.

“You can hear them crying ‘Santa!’ They are bouncing off the walls. . . . The wonderful thing is, they still believe in Santa after all they’ve been through.”

The couple decided to do something on behalf of abused children after their daughter, Cheryl, did some volunteer work at a COPES shelter. “She was so touched by the experience of working with the children, she wanted to continue doing something,” said Ginny, a secretary.

“We didn’t have the financial resources to help. So we went with what we did have--the ability to organize.”

Holiday trees decorated with tags bearing the children’s names and ages are placed at UCI Medical Center, where Shelly works. Employees select a tag and buy a gift. Santa & Co. places the gifts in bags for each group home.

“Our little entourage starts out early Christmas morning,” Ginny said. “We feel it’s important to have a team going into the homes, because we want each child to have a one-on-one experience with an adult as they open their gifts.”

Because they have lived lives of abuse and neglect, many of the children can’t relate to the toys they receive. “They need a lot of direction,” Ginny said. “Most of them are overwhelmed. They don’t know how to play with toys, don’t really know what they are.”

This year, the Romanses are taking a Polaroid camera on their Christmas outreach.

What child doesn’t like his or her picture taken with Santa? In the past, the couple have been forbidden to photograph the children. Negatives, in the wrong hands, could jeopardize their privacy. “In many cases, the shelters don’t want the parents to know where their children are,” Ginny explained.

But a Polaroid photograph has no negative. “This year, we get to take a picture of each child and leave it with them to treasure,” Ginny said.

After Santa & Co. makes its rounds, the group returns home to celebrate the holiday with a gift exchange and dinner.

The experience has brought the Romanses closer. “When our last daughter left home, Christmas was really empty,” Ginny said. “Now, the day has so much meaning.

“All of us would give up the presents we get if we were faced with the choice of having them or continuing to do this.

“What we do is no sacrifice. If people could go with us to just one house, they would do the same thing--give up their Christmas morning. This is what Christmas is all about.”

Said Jim: “You feel for the children, and sometimes it breaks your heart. But you do it because you hope, somewhere along the way, things will turn out all right for them.

“I look forward to doing this for many years. I have to do it.”