Feliz hearts

It was a typical meeting for us, fun and a bit awkward at the same time. I remember someone saying, “Let’s do something nice for Christmas.” And guess what — all of us agreed in a flash.

It had been six months since we joined the PR team of the Rotaract Club of the University of Colombo as freshers. Even though it was within a small amount of time, we were as close as any group of friends could be. We’d had some good times, full of laughter, arguments, late-night zoom meetings, and a dollop of hardships to go along with everything. We knew we had to celebrate our milestones.

This particular meeting happened in early December. The season of giving was not too far away. We agreed that it was time we gave back to the community.

The ideas came flooding in from everyone but our hearts were fixated on that one idea. To celebrate Christmas with kids. Thus birthed the project “Feliz Hearts”. We wanted to make it happen right away. Not right away, of course, because it was the middle of the night. But as soon as possible.

The next morning we jumped right into work. Like busy little bees, we talked about what, how, when, and where we could do it. A part of our team started contacting children’s homes. We had one confirmed in no time: the Pilapitiya Children’s Home said they’d be happy to have us.

With the end in mind, we began our journey of preparation. Step one, a.k.a the fun part — shopping! The first and (literally) the biggest thing on our shopping list was a Christmas tree. We managed to get one that was taller than most of the girls in our team. Which, to be honest, isn’t saying much (the girls I mentioned really are short).

So, we had the tree. Now to make it pretty. We decided to meet up and make the decorations. We were all super excited as it was the first physical gathering of the PR team. After a long time scrolling through YouTube and Pinterest, we finally found some designs we thought we could pull off. The first design was an utter failure, but all the rest came out beautifully. The day ended on a happy note. Ice cream for the team made it even better.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without gifts under the tree, which was the next item on our shopping list. Back to shopping, we went. A surprising skill of two of our members was revealed during this part of the project. Once they entered a shop, they transformed into aunties and uncles haggling for bargains. Seeing the blue and pink packs of stationery as well as the other gifts we got for the children took us back to our own simpler days.

The next task was wrapping the gifts. It was on that day we realized we had absolutely no talent for it. Yet we blamed it on the cello tape brand we used as we finished wrapping.

And the final part of our plan (and arguably the most important) — food! Our team members cooked, fried, and baked away, following strict health guidelines. After all, we couldn’t be too careful. I must say, it wasn’t just food. It was food made with love.

Finally, the day we’ve been working hard for. A bunch of little kids waved at us as we entered the children’s home. The sweetest smiles on their faces made us feel welcome without a single word being said.

We started off our evening by decorating the Christmas tree. The little ones hung all the decorations we brought and we would’ve been more than satisfied with just that. We were really glad to see that they enjoyed it and it truly was a memorable moment for all of us.

Then we had a game of “Simon says”. Except it was even better. We had not one, but three Simons leading the game. We couldn’t help but laugh at the goofy challenges being said.

A while into the game, a familiar voice made all the kids turn towards the entrance.

“Ho Ho Ho!”

They immediately knew who it was, and their squeals of joy showed as much. It was Santa himself (who, by the way, looked suspiciously like one of our own Rotaractors). He came bearing gifts, spreading joy, and tossing candy all around for the kids. Good thing Santa didn’t forget us either! By now, everyone’s spirits were soaring high. 

As soon as Santa left, the kids ran all around and got into formation. We were actually surprised. Then they handed us a couple of booklets, with the word “Carols” printed on the front. They wanted us to join them. We sang and sang next to our beautifully decorated Christmas tree. One thing led to another and before we knew it, everyone was dancing. We joined hands with the youngsters and danced the evening away.

Now came the time to make up for the calories we’d burnt. We served the kids (and ourselves) our homemade sandwiches, cutlets, and baked goodies. Our cookies were a definite highlight, and we loved how fast they got snatched up.

Finally, we decided to call it a day with our little tea party. We poured everyone tea while pouring our hearts out to each other — we genuinely didn’t want to leave. You could tell by how long we took to say our goodbyes. 

But looking back, we really were thankful for the time spent with these amazing children. Our sole purpose was to spread joy. It was all to put a smile on their faces, to hear them giggle. Having achieved that, we all went home with “Feliz” hearts. 

Our special thanks go to our immediate seniors Sajani akki, Hiruni akki, Yasas ayya, and Pramudi akki who supported and guided us throughout the project. And of course, the people who worked tirelessly through sleepless nights and long days to make this project happen, the members of the PR team.

They say, “Christmas isn’t a season. It’s a feeling.” (“They” being Edna Farber.) After Feliz Hearts, and all the seasonal joy we shared with the children of Pilapitiya Children’s Home, we can’t help but agree.

By Rtr. Neelya Jayasundara