Kansas City's Secret Santa

December 22, 2000 8:13 AM

Kansas City's Secret Santa has been handing out cash in hundred-dollar bills to needy individuals and random people during the Christmas season for the past twenty-one years. He's completely anonymous, preferring to give joy without getting any credit. He tries to find people with specific needs and surprises them in their homes or at their jobs with the cash they need. He gives out well over ten thousand dollars every year.
posted by daveadams (11 comments total)

I love Christmas stories like this one. This is exactly the kind of thing I'd like to do if I had gobs of cash (along with buying a little property on the French Riviera, of course).
posted by jess at 9:55 AM on December 22, 2000

Yeah, it really is stuff like this that puts a tear in my eye. This is what Christmas is all about... not getting a PS2 under the Christmas tree. =P
posted by PWA_BadBoy at 9:59 AM on December 22, 2000

Yeah, this reminds me of this weird "Christmas Shoes" song I keep hearing on the radio, about a little boy who wants to buy shoes for his sick mother may not make it to see Christmas. He wants to get them for her so that she'll look good if "she sees Jesus tonight". Sad song, think it's by that Butterfly Kisses singer.
posted by Cavatica at 10:04 AM on December 22, 2000

Reminds one of the Chicagoland tradition of anonymously dropping gold coins into Salvation Army pots. It started nearly 20 years ago and has continued with few exceptions ever since, in the beginning just a few, but lately several dozen every year. To me, the variety suggests copycats; in fact, I've often considered helping "seed" the trend, I just never get around to it. There's usually a news story around the time the first coins appear.
posted by dhartung at 11:10 AM on December 22, 2000

Bob Carlisle.

You know, this is why I like Christmas. People do good shit all year, but it's only *news*, for some reason, at Christmas time. It shouldn't be that way, of course, but it is.
posted by baylink at 11:12 AM on December 22, 2000

I'll tell you the part *I* like best: the reporter pretty obviously knows who the guy is. And they didn't say.

Nice.

Happy $HOLIDAY, y'all.
posted by baylink at 11:14 AM on December 22, 2000

The song in question is by NewSong.
posted by LeiaS at 11:14 AM on December 22, 2000

yep, little tear :*)
posted by justnobody at 2:21 PM on December 22, 2000

OK, I guess I'll fess up. I'm the guy.
posted by rodii at 5:50 PM on December 22, 2000

It would take more than $ 100 to get me to move to Kansas City.
posted by AndyGrossman at 12:07 AM on December 23, 2000

I just *knew* we could get smart ass and cynical on this thread, if we only tried hard enough. :-}
posted by baylink at 9:10 AM on December 23, 2000