Saint Vincent dePaul and Saint Agnes

Saint Vincent dePaul Society

There’s more than gift giving around the Saint Vincent dePaul Giving Tree at Saint Agnes Church. There’s a bit of Christmas spirit surrounding it and a history of three generations of a family making sure it’s perfect every year.

The Saint Vincent dePaul Society invites everyone to contribute gift cards at the Church before December 3.  Society members then distribute the cards to families in need who have signed up for assistance or need some help in providing Christmas for their families.

In the past, parishioners and other friends have donated wrapped gifts for those in need; however, when everyone realized it was both more practical and time saving to give families gift cards instead of wrapped gifts, they changed to the appreciation of many families.

A Christmas Tree goes up in the small room off the min foyer of Saint Agnes Church, is decorated, and there is a container where people can drop gift cards from any store, including toy and gift stores, food stores, on line sores or clothing stores.

Saint Vincent dePaul Society members accept the cards until December 3, then set a specific date shortly thereafter when they can present the cards to parents in time for families to do their own shopping.

The first spirit of Christmas you notice along with the generosity of local residents, is the tree itself.

Agatha Emmer, an Ocean Blvd resident, cannot even remember how long she had decorated the tree in mid or late November to have it in the Church for a few weeks before the December 3 deadline for accepting gift cards. But she remembers her twin daughters, Mary Lenskold of Lincroft and Anna Russo of Bridgewater, always come down to help. The tradition expanded to the third generation as well so that now whichever of Agatha’s eight granddaughters is available, also comes to help decorate the Saint Agnes tree. This year, granddaughter Kelsey Guthrie of Middletown was on hand to help with the event.

Neil and Sharon Riley are also part of the Gift Giving Tree decoration. The couple come every year to help the Emmer family decorate…” we just couldn’t do it without them,” Agatha said, noting how the couple add their own laughter and enthusiasm for the festivities.

Even the tree itself has a story, Agatha laughed. In the past, the tree was in the sanctuary at Saint Agnes, and a former pastor suggested it be moved to its own special room that was convenient for all coming into church.  The tree was almost trashed at that point, but Agatha saw some life left in it and decided to rescue it. Call it miraculous or not, but it’s still the same tree and improving with age.

“We do different decorations every year,” an enthusiastic Agatha explained, “and we always have a different theme.”

Last year, the theme was nosegays, and the women picked up supplies from the Dollar Store and created little nosegay bouquets for the tree.

This year, the theme is poinsettias, and the tree is festooned with gold and white varieties of the Christmas flower, together with a couple of pink poinsettias tucked in the back of the tree among more brilliant gold ribbons.

Then the family also decorates the little Christmas Tree Room, putting colorful designs and ornaments on the walls, and tucking gift packages under the tree near the container for the gift cards.

“It is such a beautiful room,” Agatha said with true Christmas spirit, “and seeing the tree all decorated tucked into this beautiful room is kind of special.”

Agatha has four grandsons, in addition to those eight granddaughters, and while they do not participate in the tree trimming tradition, “there’s plenty of other things they always do all the time.  I all of them all my elves!”

Gift cards can also be dropped off at the Parish Office or placed in the mail box at the parish office entry, or mailed to OLPH St. Agnes Parish at 103 Center Avenue, Atlantic Highlands marked with the intention of the Saint Vincent DePaul Society. No cards will be accepted after December 3 since this is a special Christmas program.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Highlands also has its own very special Christmas tree for Gift Giving, and the story of that tree and why it is not decorated are another story of Christmas season happiness.   Look for that tree in the sanctuary of the church this weekend, along with labeled boxes to accept gift cards for both children with families and senior citizens in need. The last opportunity to donate to the OLPH Saint Vincent dePaul Society will be Sunday, December 17, though donations can also be delivered to the OLPH Food Pantry at the lower level of the church until until 6:30 p.m on December 17.

Look for another story this week on the Christmas Spirit that pours forth from the OLPH Saint Vincent dePaul Society Christmas Giving Tree.