‘Front Porch Christmas' Helps Make Spirits Brighter in Chicago

At a twinkling home on North Sacramento,  nestled between Grace and Byron, toys are already piling up inside for a home-grown toy drive and handout next Saturday called Front Porch Christmas. Julie “Mrs. Claus” Weber started Front Porch Christmas in 2020 and says the event is “open for anyone that needs a little extra holiday cheer.” For Julie, this tiny speck of an idea sprouted during the pandemic, and snowballed into Santa handing out toys every year.  “I don’t know, like 700 kids came through the first Front Porch Christmas. It was just an incredible experience of those that wanted to volunteer and give,” she says. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, December 10th from 1-to-7 p.m. It began during the pandemic, when she heard that her son’s classmate wouldn’t get any presents because his parents were jobless. Julie’s heartstrings had her wheels turning. “I was like ‘what if we collected toys from all of our neighborhood moms,'” she recalls. And it took off with the help of volunteers of all ages. Mindy Warling is a “Mom Elf” for Front Porch Christmas and loves the event. “The smiles on kids’ faces, and just getting what they want. Especially being hard years and families not being able to provide the way they want to,” she says. “Even seeing the parents’ faces. It’s a great feeling all around.” They’re continuing to collect new and gently used toys until the day of the event, when Santa will be in the 3800 block of North Sacramento for the fesitivites. More information can be found on the group’s Facebook page.

The, Doctor