Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Live United by Erin Haag

Early on in our relationship, my husband and I talked about our traditions. He shared with me how his family attended Mass on Christmas Eve. At the end of Mass, the doors burst open, and there was Santa. He strode up the aisle, knelt at the altar and prayed. He then walked back out, leaving all the children awestruck.

Fast forward to when our children were small, and we attended Christmas Eve Mass. When I saw Santa in the foyer, I was torn between watching my children and watching my husband as he saw his treasured memory recreated for our children. Santa knelt down and prayed. He then stood up and talked with the children who had been remarkably quiet while he prayed. He asked if they had been good. My son, Ethan, piped up, “Yeah! And my grandma and papa and Uncle Dan are here!” I always remember his absolute joy in telling Santa his family was here!

If you drive down Richway Drive, just around the bend right by the bridge, there’s a house that has been turned into a Winter Wonderland. If you take a peek at Google Maps, it shows the home in the height of summer, with no indication of the magic that takes place there. That magic is Santa Bob. Back when we were doing pop-up pantries, he rolled into the armory one day, and from then on, he was there. From being dressed in full gear to help us with the Casino fundraiser last year, to delivering furniture for someone in need, he was there. When we worked to get the new location up and running, he assessed our need for the scale, made some recommendations and did the research to help us fine-tune the process. He was there. When we had a group of Boy Scouts carrying out groceries for us, we put Santa Bob in charge of them, and he was up to the task. My favorite is when a little one comes to the pantry. I’ve seen them look suspiciously at the white beard and follow their mama, glancing over every once in a while. Is it possible? Could it be?

Santa Bob’s a high-energy guy. He’s in constant motion, talking fast, and telling stories. When a little child is there? A little boy looks up at him, wondering where he’s seen this guy before. Santa Bob will slow down and take a long pause. He’ll look the child in the eyes and then slowly nod his head. “You know who I am.” Eyes will widen, and a solemn nod back. They know.

Our volunteers and staff wanted to do so much more for Christmas at the office. I struggled with this. Most everyone knows I love celebrating, bringing joy and connecting. What I haven’t figured out how to do is how to be inclusive. I’m not saying we can’t celebrate Christmas at the office. I’m saying let’s include others. Let’s give equal credence to the traditions of others. The beauty of Chanukah candlelight, the seven days of celebrating Kwanzaa, Las Posadas or Diwali. There’s more, of course. Some are cultural, some are religious, but all are important.

I’ve pondered this quite a bit in the last month or so. I’ve researched and read articles. I’ve paid attention to workplaces and looked at other examples.

While I haven’t quite figured out how to implement my vision of celebrating during the winter months, I’m getting there. The team and I will have to talk about how to pull this together, but I think I have some ideas to present to them.

I first started thinking about how to accomplish this in 2020. My family and I drove through a festive display that had banners and “stations” for different celebrations. Some I only had a vague idea of. My daughter knew though. She read the names out loud and shared her knowledge there. I was proud and humbled by her knowledge, and I’ve been learning a little more each year about the different traditions.

Light. Peace. Joy. Food. Unity. Sounds like Christmas, doesn’t it? It also sounds like Chanuka, Diwali, Kwanzaa, and Lunar New Year. Kwanzaa is the celebration of the Seven Principals. One of those principles is Kuumba: “to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.” Uffda. Doesn’t that just resonate deeply with the mission of United Way? With who we want to be as a neighbors, individuals, human beings?

A common Lunar New Year custom is to spotlessly clean a home prior to the new year to rid it of any bad luck. Nikolle has a team of volunteers working to clean and organize the pantry next week, so I suppose she’s on target there.

The United Way offices & the Welcome Pantry is closed to the public until Jan. 4. We’re taking a deep breath, seeing family, celebrating our own traditions.

We will also come into the office to water our poor, neglected plants, clean our offices and share a meal. We are giving ourselves the gift of not answering the phone and returning only very time-sensitive messages. The white dropbox will be checked regularly if you need to drop off a donation. Since it’s near the end of the year, I’ll remind people that we follow the postmark rule. If a donation is mailed in, and does not arrive until after Dec. 31, it is still counted as 2023 donation for IRS purposes as long as it is documented by the postmark date, which we do.

Checks are deposited twice a month at minimum, typically around the 15th and the last day of the month. Please call our office at 507-373-8670 if you have any questions. Our mailing address is PO Box 686, Albert Lea, MN 56007 and the physical address is 411 S. First Ave, Albert Lea.

No matter your culture, religion, and/or beliefs, the United Way team has some wishes for you. We wish you happy. We wish you peace. We wish you joy.

We wish you light. From our homes to yours, Erin, Nikolle, Rosemary and Merle — and all of our incredible volunteers making the magic and light happen every single day through their dedication to Living United.

Erin Haag is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.