I had every intention of writing about New Year’s resolutions. The problem is, the more I thought about what to say, the more I realized I’m still pondering last year’s resolutions, the ones that quietly fell to the wayside after a few days. So instead, since I’m still grinning ear to ear, I’d rather reminisce.
Delivering gifts with the Reserve Angels in Hennessey has a way of doing that to you.
You’ve probably heard the stories, the pork butt sale, Bryan and Shelley Burch starting the Reserve Angels, and the army of volunteers that make it all happen. This year, though, I got to check something off my bucket list. You see, I’ve ridden in the passenger seat of a highway patrol car and a local police car. And just in case you’re wondering, both were for positive reasons. This year, I rode in the passenger seat of the fire truck.
Logan Macy was our driver, and I was loaded down with bags of gifts. Totally worth it for the front-row seat perched up high, watching the deliveries unfold. As the afternoon wore on, I noticed the fire truck horn seemed to sound a lot. Eventually, Logan politely explained that my foot kept hitting the button on the floorboard.
Once I realized I had access to that kind of power, well, let’s just say it probably didn’t help that I found every excuse to use it.
We had so many deliveries that Matthew Streck was riding in the back to make sure we didn’t lose any precious cargo. I did ask Logan more than once if we still had Matthew, and he always reassured me that he hadn’t “dropped and rolled.” I’m pretty sure I stole Matthew’s spot in the front seat this year. Matthew, if you’re reading this, just know Shelley and I have already been plotting for next year. It involves you riding shotgun in a red suit with a beard.
The Angels always make a stop at the Hennessey Nursing Center, and the requests there were as varied as they were sweet. One of my favorites was a request for a dozen donuts. One of Santa’s elves even made a special trip to Enid earlier that morning to make it happen.
After the controlled chaos at the nursing home, the elves headed back to Santa headquarters to reload, bags of gifts, bikes, soccer goals, and vanities. But more than anything, everyone was loaded up with the spirit of giving.
I didn’t get out at every house, partly because I was buried under gifts, but I had a front-row seat to something special. Watching both the giving and the receiving was better than Saturday morning cartoons. And that’s saying something.
We talk a lot about the volunteers, and rightly so, but I want to give a special shout-out to the young volunteers who showed up. They witnessed the excitement of gifts being opened and saw firsthand how contagious joy can be.
One of my favorite parts of the day actually came afterward, when everyone gathered to share stories and emotions from the day. Those moments stick with you.
Thank you to Logan for driving us safely, to Melissa Macy for snapping a few photos, I’ll be adding those to my album, and to Matthew for letting me steal his spot this year. The little girl in me is still grinning.
Now that I’ve gotten all of that out, I suppose I’ll try to move forward into 2026 and think about New Year’s resolutions And don’t forget to eat your black-eyed peas.
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