There comes a time every year where homes light up with flashing snowflakes and waving snowmen. As holiday music gleefully plays in the background, many find themselves appreciating the glee of Christmas they experience every year. However, not everyone has the luxury to celebrate Christmas as hundreds of thousands across the nation do.

This is why organizations, such as Student Council, get together and host Angel Tree adoptions for those in need.

“This is a huge community service project that we do every year, and we get kids from all of our feeder schools, from newborns up until they’re getting ready to graduate,” senior StuCo president Kayla Connor said. “They submit a form with a list of what they want, and it’s really for families who can’t afford to buy Christmas presents.”

Each year since 2003, StuCo has organized the Angel Tree in order to give back to the community, as well as provide a great Christmas experience to many families within the district.

“The first year we pretty much did it locally, we helped with the church as well, and teachers adopted angels,” StuCo adviser Allison Stamey said. “I would hope that a class could adopt an angel; I mean you know not every single class.”

Although the school does collect the gifts, the giving doesn’t stop from there. After the gifts are collected by Wednesday, Dec. 9, StuCo delivers the gifts personally to the children.

“Trying to get gifts for thousands of kids is pretty hard, but at the end of the day I think the stress will really wear off once you get to see those kids so happy and smiling and getting their presents,” senior StuCo community service officer Megan Fritz said.

Overall, the school helps hundreds of children across the district celebrate Christmas through the gift of giving.

“We see everyday students in need,” Stamey said. “We see everyday students that drive the best cars. We see a variety of the way people live. We see the need. We’ve all had the battle of struggling. So with the Angel Tree, it has grown over time, and we’ve had over 700 angels on the tree, and it gives everyone the opportunity to adopt.”