Anonymous gifts for 12 days of Christmas inspires family to pay it forward

CALGARY – Christmas Eve is usually met by children with great anticipation but, last year, something showed up on the Bliele family’s steps to make the holidays extra special.

“When he looked into the bag there were gifts and a whole poem attached to the bag,” single mom Brianne Bleile said.

The poem read:

“For the next 12 days
As Christmas draws near…
We will be dropping by with some holiday cheer.

So keep your eyes open,
Your ears perked up, too,
We’ve thought long and hard
about what to bring you!

Along with our gifts
that will come each night,
Is a wish for a happy holidays
and a New Year that’s bright!”

Bliele created a scrapbook to mark what happened in the days to follow.

“There was another bag on the steps. Sometimes there was two bags. Each bag had a note attached to it with a cute little saying and each time it ended with ‘love your two elves.’”

The gifts left for Bliele and her, (then) four-year-old son, Rowan, included gift cards, gloves, hot chocolate and Lego, his favourite toy.

While Bliele has suspicions about who their elves may have been – the experience has ignited something beyond curiosity in young Rowan.

“I was pretty excited that day, on Christmas eve,” he added.

He wasn’t alone. Bliele’s social media posts about the anonymous Christmas gifts drew followers from around the globe.

“As the nights went on the there was so many more people anticipating the next night and it was just so exciting,” Bliele said. “It’s just the spirit of Christmas and it’s still out there.”

Now the family is paying it forward – with 50 days of kindness. Everyday, Rowan picks a piece of paper from a large jar with a suggested good deed written out for him to complete.

“It says, leave out water for the birds,” Bliele reads.

Rowan obliged. “Cuz Santa’s watchin’,'” he said.