We often have seniors who are added to our list at the last minute who need gifts or have gifts that aren’t returned by the Santa. Last year, we made gifts for over 300 additional seniors with items donated from the wish list.
Wish list items can be placed in our collection boxes at our drop-off locations in their original store bags or your box – Please label them as WISH LIST
The drop-off weekend will be November 27th, 28th, and 29th. You can also drop off gifts at the Christmas warehouse. The location is TBD. The drop-off locations will all be outdoors. Trucks will be parked in the parking lots of Calgary Police Service offices from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
District 1: 1010 26 Avenue S.E.
District 2: 4506 17 Avenue S.W.
District 4: 3207 12 Ave NE
District 8: 450 Midpark Way S.E.
Spyhill Services Centre: 12500 85 Street N.W
Looking for ways to get involved? Organize a gift drive at your office! Consider sharing this wish list with your colleagues or employees, and help us collect donations for our volunteers to make Christmas Cheer gifts for Seniors.
Santa’s Wish List
Personal Care Items
• All types of toiletry items for men and women – High demand items!
• Toiletry gift sets – High-demand items!
Clothing
• Nighties for ladies – a variety of lengths
• Pj pants and 2-piece pj sets – men and ladies
• Button-up casual blouses for ladies or button-up casual shirts for men
• T-shirts of all sizes for men and women – short or long-sleeve
• Sweaters of all sizes for men or ladies, cardigan or pull-on
• Various sizes of men’s and ladies underwear.
• Bathrobes – all sizes
• Pull-on pants for men and women – all sizes. HIGH demand item!
Household Items
• Small household/kitchen gadgets and linens
• Sheet sets of various sizes from twin to queen
• Fuzzy Blankets – please remember these are going into a small box.
• Go cups with no-spill lid
• Calendars, colouring books/ markers
• Notebooks/ journals.
• Sport magazines
Food and Games
• Treats: boxes of chocolates, candy, cookies, etc.
• Diabetic treats/gluten-free treats – High demand item!
• Herbal Tea/ Individual instant coffee serving gift sets
• Large print puzzle books
• Jigsaw puzzles – Under 500 pieces are best
Other
• New handmade items are also appreciated for those who are crafty or knit
• Transit tickets – High demand item
• Small Christmas ornaments
• Treats/toys for dogs and cats
• Small and easy-to-operate CD players and DVD players
• DVDs – Comedy and Western seem to be popular choices
• Music CDs
• Gift cards for Walmart, these are handy to have in case we need to purchase clothing
• Tim Horton’s or Starbucks gift cards
• Chapters gift cards, London Drugs gift cards, fast food gift cards, grocery store gift cards- High demand items!
• Anything with Calgary Flames/Stampeders/Roughnecks/Blue Jays on it
Create a Man or Lady Gift
If you would rather, you can put together a complete gift for a man or lady. While we are happy to put together gifts on our end, some volunteers enjoy putting the entire package together.
You can look to Santa’s wish list for ideas of commonly requested items. If you purchase clothing, we ask that you choose 1 size per box and indicate that on the content list (taped to the outside of the box).
This year, we will supply boxes for the Man or Lady generic gifts. Please do not write anything on the box; instead, tape a piece of paper indicating either a generic man or lady and listing the contents. You will need to pick up the boxes from one of our distribution points.
PLEASE NOTE:
The dimensions of the box are 16” x 12” x 12” which is just a bit bigger than a file/banker’s box.
Each box will have a space on the outside to write the seniors name, id number and site id. For generic gifts please DO NOT write in this space. Tape a label that indicates either Man or Lady gift to the outside of the box along with a content list of what is in the gift. The boxes can be decorated with stickers or drawings if you like, and the gifts inside can be individually wrapped.
Non-Senior Seniors
As we have every year, there are a small number of people on our list who do not technically qualify as seniors. These folks for the most part live in 24-hour care facilities due to a debilitating illness or injury. They do not have family support and are alone at Christmas. We are looking for a few Santas who might be willing to take on a non-senior senior 🙂 If you would be interested in providing a gift for one of our underage folks, please send an email to coordinator@seniorssecretservice.com
Hospital Gifts
Each year we supply over 300 gifts to Calgary area hospitals for those seniors who are alone in the hospital over Christmas. These gifts are considerably smaller than a regular gift. Here is an example of the hospital profile for a lady gift.
Warm Blanket that is Feminine or Pashmina, Socks with Grips, Toiletry Kit with Full Sized Product (Toothpaste, Shampoo, a Hairbrush, a Toothbrush, and Deodorant), Christmas Stuffie, Crossword/Word Search – Large Print, Adult Coloring Book & Markers, Magazine (Ex: Chatelaine, Hello).
If you would like to put together a hospital gift, please email coordinator@seniorssecretservice.com, and we will send you a profile. You do not need to pick up a box for these gifts.
Want to help but hate to shop?
We are very grateful for any financial support that we receive. Operating this program comes with many costs, including boxes, truck rentals, and supplies such as tape and wrapping paper. We also often end up purchasing harder-to-find items a senior may have requested, such as grocery store cards, winter jackets, or boots, if we don’t have their size donated.