12/26/2025
Operation Reindeer Games was a huge success on Christmas Day! All of the nurses were so happy to see us and take pics with us, and then tell us which patients of theirs, if any, wouldn’t want a visitor, so we respectfully skipped those rooms. For the remainder, we were split into 2 groups. Group 1 had Stephanie, myself (Monique) and Vinnie as reindeer, plus Jared as our elf helping with pulling wagons of gifts. We hit the even numbered rooms. Group 2 had Rian, Santa and Mrs. Claus and Brent (my Dad) as their wagon elf, and they hit the odd numbered rooms. It went quickly this way, and we didn’t have to overwhelm patients by squeezing 6 people in their room.
The response was extremely positive. Whenever possible, we would hangout a few minutes talking with the patient if they wanted us to. Steph was offering to put their adorable new Christmas grippy socks on, while I’d open up the blanket, and we’d hand them their stuffed reindeer and point out all the activity books, chapstick, and handmade card. (This year we got smart and put a label in each card that just has our social media names and our email address. Last time we were just shocked that anyone would want to stay in touch, but some do.)
Side note - there was only one patient in the Pediatric unit, a teenager in isolation, but we did drop off a gift so the nurses could give it to him.
We handed out 12 Nurses Buckets, and they seemed to love the healthy snacks, jewelry, sticky notes and syrenge pens. They also wanted pics with Santa and reindeer, so of course we happily obliged.
After handing out about 62 gifts, we took the last bunch over to the infusion center. They tend to know me there, so that was easy and fun. There were only 4 patients at that time, but we got to go around and see them all. A couple of the ladies doing chemo were so thrilled and moved that we would come there just for them. One sweet lady wanted a picture with Santa, Mrs. Claus and a reindeer. The other lady was half asleep, but she woke up as we walked by. She was by herself - getting chemo on Christmas. That has to feel lonely. But she woke up to the whole crew from The North Pole. She was moved to tears. It was so sweet. Since there were more patients to arrive later, we left all of the remaining gift bags with the nurses so they could hand them out.
The reindeer want to send a HUGE thank you out to all of you who donated. We couldn’t have done this without your generosity. Thank you for trusting us. And we also greatly appreciate those of you who made cards. They were so beautiful and just the right heartwarming touch. Thank you also to our elf helpers who donated their time to put gifts together and haul them in wagons around the hospital for hours. Plus, of course we want to give an enormous shoutout to Santa and Mrs. Claus for generously giving their Christmas Day to join us in visiting the patients. How truly magical!!
And yes, we are already thinking of next year. We will have much more time for fundraisers, and I truly hope to add another hospital like the kids unit at Kaiser. We have much to work on over the year so we can get some doors opened for what we do.
If you’re interested in helping out in any way - or just seeing what we accomplish, be sure to follow us here on Facebook, and our page on Instagram at operation.reindeer.games
If you’re hoping to be a reindeer, we’ve got a couple of people in line already, but it’s a big commitment and it means giving up your Christmas Day. Being an elf is a bit less commitment, and I might recommend that first so you can learn the process, help put gifts together, sign cards, potentially haul wagons on Christmas Day, and help with fundraising.
Enjoy the pics. It was tiring, hot, and sooooooo worth it in every single way. Thanks again!!
