Always His Turn to Do the Wishes

Santa Claus was in a dilemma.

He could honor the request of the 10-year-old boy who wanted an airplane set and the 8-year-old girl who asked for a Fashion Barbie, but what to do about the little boy whose only wish was that his sister be “taken away somewhere.”

Then there were the other kids who asked for Santa’s entire store.

“Santa will see what he can do,” said Mr. Claus, a.k.a. Richard Rodriguez, 28, of Santa Ana, with a soft chuckle. “Santa will try to make all wishes come true.”

As the children left Santa’s lap, they passed through his workshop where volunteers with the American Red Cross fulfilled many wishes. By day’s end, they were expected to hand out 10,000 new and unwrapped gifts to about 3,000 homeless and low-income families in the area.

The event at the Santa Ana Zoo was among several held across the county to bring Christmas presents to people who cannot afford them.

In Anaheim, officials with the Orange County Rescue Mission were expecting to hand out 33,000 wrapped gifts to homeless or impoverished families. Hundreds of people who lined up at the Freedman Forum for the event also received a special bonus: a free showing of Disney’s Holiday Show.

“These are children for whom Mickey and Minnie Mouse exist only in comic books, because they cannot afford to go to Disneyland,” said Jim Palmer, president of the rescue mission, which runs two homeless shelters.

Volunteers handed out Disney merchandise and other toys from companies and individuals for the children, while adults received “shirts, jackets and things to keep them warm during the winter,” Palmer said.

“When they unwrap their presents, the smiles are incredible,” Palmer said. “It’s worth a million dollars.”

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At the Santa Ana Zoo, hundreds of people lined up, many before the 9:30 a.m. start, for the Red Cross’ eighth annual Holiday Wonderland and Toy Distribution.

Organizers have been planning for the event for months. In letters, they asked principals of elementary and intermediate schools in Garden Grove, Anaheim and Santa Ana to identify 10 families who might not have had a Christmas otherwise. They also invited needy families who attend the city’s Corbin Community Center on West McFadden Avenue. The unwrapped presents came from toy drives organized by employees of several local corporations.

After waiting about an hour to chat with Santa and receive their presents, children stuck around to play games, make greeting cards and take advantage of a free admission to the zoo. Others played with the mascots, including the Red Cross’ Buddy Blood Drop, a red teardrop-shaped blob with legs.

Sandra and Mario Mejia brought along their identical twin daughters for the presents. The Mejias have four children, and Mario’s gas station job is their only means of support.

If the girls had not received their stuffed puppets and other trinkets from the Red Cross, they would not have received Christmas presents, Sandra Mejia said.

Susy Saldana, one of 20 Santa Ana High School student volunteers, overheard Mejia. It had been “tough waking up early on a Saturday, but well worth it,” she said.

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Throughout the day, word spread about another volunteer, Megan McClain, a freshman at Foothill High.

Megan’s younger brother, Paul, had given her an Elmo doll on her 15th birthday last month, before the Elmo craze took off and the fuzzy toys began to fetch thousands of dollars apiece.

Meghan considered cashing in on her Elmo, but instead received her brother’s permission to donate the toy so that some youngster could win it in a free raffle.

“No amount of money can make me as happy as seeing one of these little kids walk away with a big smile on their face,” Meghan said.

At Santa’s booth, children had more requests of Rodriguez, who has been playing Santa since his sister volunteered him four years ago “because I’m a little hefty.”

A little girl wanted no toys, just for “grandma and her dad back,” and a boy wanted nothing for himself but “a small toy for his baby brother.”

Santa brushed away tears from his own plump cheeks at those two requests.

Relying on his standard line, he said, “Santa will see what he can do. Santa will try to make all wishes come true.”