December 2022 marked the 42nd year of Christmas House helping families in need from over 20 different cities in Snohomish County. Parents get to select free holiday gifts for their children at the “Christmas House” store. In 2022, the store opened on December 1 for a three-week period. When the store finally closed on December 17, more than 7,300 children from 2,580 families received around 43,000 free gifts. This included children from around 100 families in transition.

Christmas House again was setup at the North Everett Boys and Girls Club. The Boys and Girls Club is truly a perfect facility to host Christmas House. Each morning at 7:00 am we start handing out numbers to parents, 200 each day during the week and 300 on Saturdays. Anyone who was unable to wait in line for a number, due to documented medical reasons, was given an appointment. When their number is called, parents provide proof of Snohomish County residency, kid’s birth dates, custody, income and family size at our registration desk. Once registered, they were escorted through Christmas House by a volunteer.

Parents select a large and small gift, book, stocking hat and warm gloves, stuffed animal and stocking stuffer for each child.  On average, each child received about $60 worth of gifts. Parents were also invited to select an item from our family gifts.

Once again, the citizens of Snohomish County and beyond met the challenge of helping their neighbors celebrate the holidays. Thanks to many individuals, local businesses and foundations, cash donations from January thru December 2022 exceeded $119,000. Throughout the year, we applied for and received foundation donations and workplace donations. People generously brought in toys, gifts and money to our donation sites. Individuals, families, clubs, churches and businesses all made significant contributions. Thanks to the generous donations, we also were able to give away a total of 430 bicycles, skateboards, and tricycles.

A very special “thank you” for the help of our over 700 volunteers from Snohomish County and beyond. Without every one of them, we could not have met and served the needs of these families. Our volunteers were enthusiastic and warm hearted. Their goodwill touched the hearts of the thousands of people they assisted.

Christmas House is already preparing for 2023. With the continued support of our loyal donors and volunteers, we will continue to meet the challenges and needs of kids in our community.

Sincerely,
Gregg Milne
Christmas House President