For Kelly Keith, Christmas has always been a meaningful holiday.
She says, she has great memories of decorating her tree, growing up.
So when she heard that one of her friends, who was affected by the spring floods, was missing a Christmas tree, she wanted to help.
“I had this little box of just ornaments that my husband saved that were keepsakes, from our honeymoon, that our kids made, and that’s all I had,” said Ile Bizard resident Stefanie Kulisz. “I thought, I don’t have a tree. Where am I gonna get it? We’re waiting on money from the government, we can’t afford to buy a tree — they’re pricey.”
READ MORE: Victims of Quebec floods still waiting for help
After hearing that, Keith decided to start a Facebook group, where people could donate Christmas decorations, for flood victims.
“I thought, well, if she lost everything, she wasn’t the only one on that street,” said Keith. “And there was a whole lot of other streets.”
Others, like Stephanie Kennedy.
Along with other personal items, the Île Bizard resident also lost her Christmas decorations in the floods.
READ MORE: Quebec floods: Floodwaters keeping many Île-Bizard residents from going home
“We didn’t think of this stuff during the flood, that we’re losing our Christmas trees, our boots, hockey equipment — it was only afterward,” said Kennedy. “And my kids were sweet, they said, ‘don’t worry mom, we had a hard year, we don’t need it.’ But as a mom, you want to do that for your kids.”
As a result of Keith’s idea, both of these moms now have Christmas trees.
READ MORE: Operation Montreal Flood: helping victims get back on their feet
Over the last few weeks, people have been dropping off decorations at the gym Keith works at in Pierrefonds, and the women say, they couldn’t be more grateful.
“It’s the spirit, it’s the spirit of Christmas that the kids have, and when you see that in the kids, you get it,” said Kulisz. “I didn’t have it until I got all these donations. Now I’m like oh my god, I have Christmas spirit, thank you.”
If you would like to donate any Christmas decorations, you can drop them off at Gymnase Apex, located at 15748 Pierrefonds Blvd.