Christmas Comes Early To The Shack

Christmas presents flowed from West Hill’s community center, The Shack, Saturday for an early holiday celebration. 

One hundred twenty families in West Hills and beyond picked up personalized gift bags of toys for their kids to open Christmas morning.

For some, the gifts were the first that will go under the tree. For others these are the only gifts that will put a smile on their kids’ face this holiday.

West Hills Alder Honda Smith hosted the holiday gift giveaway, known as ​“Winter Wonderland,” for its 25th year. For the second year in a row, because of Covid-19, Smith hosted the event as a grab-and-go giveaway, in which parents selected appointments times to pick up bags overflowing with toys for their children. 

With hundreds of toys donated from New Haveners like the New Haven Firebirds, the Flaming Knights motorcycle club (MC) , and organizers of the Eastcoastin motorcycle event, Winter Wonderland put toys in 1,200 kids’ hands Saturday. 

A mom and grandmother, Kathleen Moore and Wileese Moore, picked up gifts Saturday for Wileese’s 8‑year-old son and 14-year-old daughter.

Kathleen and Wileese pitch in with Smith on neighborhood activities. ​“This just made our day and helped us out tremendously,” Wileese said.

The Moores have lived in West Hills for 33 years. Smith got Wileese’s son his first bike at last year’s Winter Wonderland event. 

This year has continued to be hard for Wileese, who said her family hasn’t set their Christmas tree up yet. 

“I was so worried they wouldn’t be able to have a Christmas,” she said. 

Wileese said the Saturday gifts will be the first she’s gotten for her kids so far. Currently unemployed, she worried she wouldn’t be able to afford presents. 

“Not having the time or the money is making this so stressful,” Wileese said. 

Wileese’s 14-year-old daughter recently told her to not get her any gifts for Christmas and to instead use her money to get her little brother presents.

“I’m glad she understands and is so patient with me” she said

In addition to gifts for kids, Smith provided food gift cards for struggling families.

Mirta Gomez picked up a new scooter, infant xylophone, and baby doll Saturday for her 9‑year-old daughter and 2‑year-old granddaughter. 

Gomez, who has lived in the neighborhood for 16 years, said she recently got laid off from her second job. ​“This year things have been a bit slow with shopping because work is slow,” she said. 

For the past nine years the Flaming Knights MC has combined their annual toy drive with the Winter Wonderland event. In partnership with Smith, a group of Flaming Knights members including Anthony Bolden and Dwayne Hicks, participated this year.

Bolden, who has been a Flaming Knight for 36 years, said the club is made up of everyday community members who ride motorcycles and have a passion for giving back to their community. 

Bolden has been a New Haven firefighter for the past 24 years. He grew up in the Hill and Fair Haven. ​“There’s this connotation that motorcycle clubs are made up of people who drink, do drugs, and chase women. but we’re far from that,” Bolden said. ​“We’re multifaceted and take care of our community.” 

Flaming Knights serve as escorts at funeral services and conduct food and clothing drives within the community throughout the year. 

At the Saturday event, club members provided ​“manpower,” helping families bring their gifts our to the cars and put together the bags of gifts in advance. 

Bags of football and basketballs, karaoke microphones, skateboards, hot wheels, and baby dolls were handed off to neighborhood parents.

Juanita Howard picked up gifts for her two boys ages 12 and one and a half. 

Her bag of gifts was full of sports balls for her 12 year old, who loves football. She also was given a children’s ATV. 

Howard said she has done some Christmas shopping so far but plans to wait until after Christmas to buy more for her boys. ​“It will be pretty small this year, but they know that’s because we’re moving houses.” 

In addition to the toys picked up Saturday, Howard will be gifting her boys a Playstation Five and educational toys for the youngest. 

During a brief pause in pick ups, two delivery men stopped in with a Christmas present addressed to The Shack. 

It was a 25th anniversary gift and thank you to Smith and her crew for their work: a 70-inch flat screen TV for the community center, from two West Hills neighbors, Von Robinson and Bumblebee. 

“She’s always giving, giving, giving, so we wanted to give back to her and the community center,” Robinson said. 

“This is 25 years of Winter Wonderland, and every year someone comes in to bring something totally different and amazing,” Smith said. ​“We’ve been asking for a 70 inch; we just didn’t know where we were going to get it from.” 

South Genesee Street resident Nya Rush, 27, picked up gifts for her 9‑year-old daughter and two nephews after getting a call from Smith. 

Rush did most of her shopping online and got her daughter things she couldn’t buy for her birthday in October. 

“The store shelves are empty, so I’m glad I got her more stuff to open today,” Rush said. 

A new scooter was one of those gifts that Rush couldn’t get in October. She was able to get this Saturday for her daughter. 

By taking on more work hours, Rush was also able to get her daughter a Nintendo switch, phone, and drone, which were on her short but expensive Christmas list this year. 

Ten-year-old Vyncent got a brand new BMX bike Saturday to continue learning how to ride and do tricks on. Smith gifted it to him herself at the center after reminding him of the promise she made to him. 

“I told you I was going to get you out at those skate parks,” she said. 

She also gifted his brother Phillip, 14, and cousin Xavier, 14, with skateboards to join Vyncent at the park. 

The family’s oldest child, Azaria, 16, was gifted a phone holder, which she said she plans to use to film her Tik Toks. 

The father, Phillip Thomas, and uncle Ben Trajzski joined the kids Saturday to pick up the gifts. 

Azaria, Phillip, and Xavier, who live a block away, worked at The Shack this past summer, cleaning streets, cutting neighbors’ trees, cutting grass, and planting a garden. 

Thomas said he plans to take some time off work this week to do some additional shopping for his kids.

In between arcade game breaks, pizza and wings, nerf gun fights, Christmas music, and laughs, a crew of a dozen helpers helped make this year’s event happen.

Those helpers included Iva Johnson, Jordan Cunningham, Marquis Reid, Jerrell Merritt, Alfreda Edwards, Carolyn Kinder, Nickelle Cooper, James Haley, Anthony Bolden, Travis Singleton, and Dwayne Hicks. 

“This year went well because our sponsors were dedicated and blessed our people,” Smith said. 

The remaining dozens of toys were gifted to Sandra’s Soul Food restaurant in the Hill.