Creating Christmas on Dec. 23

A very tall Santa gave out large red holiday sacks full of presents to 230 District children yesterday as a part of the annual Gift of Love Fellowship, sponsored by the D.C. Housing Authority.

The families, nominated based on need by property managers of public housing complexes, put together lists of the needs of children age 12 and younger and a wish list of gifts. Housing Authority employees then made paper ornaments with a child's name, age, sex, needs and wants, and placed them on a "gift of love" tree. Employees selected children and shopped for gifts.

Angela Lee, community relations coordinator for the Housing Authority, said employees spent an average of $100, although many exceeded that amount, buying computers, bikes, video games and gift cards.

Employees who weren't able to select an ornament with a child's wish list before all of them had been taken contributed to a toy drive that allowed children to receive a toy upon arrival yesterday.

"We don't want the children to open up their [large bag] of presents until Christmas day," Lee said. "For some of them, this is it; there is no more Christmas. So we let them take an unwrapped gift so they can open the big bag of gifts on Christmas day."

Families were seated and waited for their names to be called so they could receive their bags of gifts and meet Santa Claus -- an almost 7-foot-tall, gray-bearded Housing Authority employee named Richard Congo, whom co-workers described as a gentle giant who loves children. Congo was on vacation in Pennsylvania but returned for the role of Santa he has held the past six years.

After taking photos with Santa, the children made thank-you cards for their sponsors. Tarrence and Tyreese Brooks, 9-year-old twins, were so excited about getting gifts that they made a large thank-you card out of construction paper the night before for their sponsor, Bill Knox, the chief of staff for the Housing Authority. Tyreese received a bike and said he was eager to race his brother now that they both had one.

Knox "didn't have to do that. He did it out of the kindness of his heart," Tyreese said.

Knox, who said he normally remains anonymous during the event, said he was moved by the card -- so much that he taped it to his office door.

"They shared with me that they had spent some time on the card, and it was a beautiful card," Knox said. "It was nice to see them in their little suits. I told them I had one just like it, and I wished I had worn it."

Michelle Brooks, mother of the twins, said she was glad to see her sons show appreciation for the person who gave them their gifts.

"I had boxes of Christmas cards from last year we could have used, but they wanted to make the card themselves," Brooks said. "This has put a lot of joy in my heart. With the economy and downsizing, everyone is struggling. I'm so grateful and appreciative of everything."