What began as a small way to turn a family’s holiday sadness and pain into others’ gladness reached far beyond Columbus and now may become an annual outreach.
Ten-year-old Teddy Littrell, a Southside Elementary School fifth-grader, knew that he, his parents and grandparents needed a way to reach beyond December doldrums and grief that first hit them four years ago. Andy Russell, Littrell’s nearly 41-year-old uncle, died suddenly from a heart attack Dec. 2, 2014 — and the family has struggled through a cloud of despair every Christmas since.
Then, just a few weeks ago, Louie and Karen Russell’s 2010 Honda CRV was stolen from the driveway. It was recovered, but totaled.
Vehicles can be replaced, but a precious son whom they miss terribly cannot be.
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“We were just so sad (every December),” said Karen Russell, Andy Littrell’s mother and Teddy Littrell’s grandmother.
So Teddy Littrell, who loves arts and crafts, hatched a plan: Why not make homemade Christmas cards for area nursing home residents, and pair those greetings with donated socks for the sake of holiday warmth? And then a couple of Teddy Littrell’s young friends, Courtland and Anna Reed, decided that such a sweet gesture would go well with decorated homemade Christmas cookies, too.
So there was born Santa’s Socks and Sweets, you might say. The youngster much prefers that whimsical label on the effort rather than mom Regan Littrell’s initial, zippy name on the project: Teddy’s Toes.
That one never really got a foothold, the student acknowledged. But he laughed when someone called him the Santa of Socks.
“Yeah, that probably works,” Teddy Littrell said.
When the Littrells arrived at Willow Crossing Health and Rehabilitation Center in Columbus on Thursday for the facility Christmas party, and the card and gift distribution for 64 residents, Teddy Littrell sported a Santa hat and a T-shirt with a Santa likeness. And it seemed especially fitting that as the youngster and his mom walked into the proceedings carrying gifts of wrapped socks — donated from relatives, friends and even strangers as far-flung as New York and the United Kingdom — the party background music featured the Beach Boys’ classic song “Little St. Nick.”
Because, for the love of holiday happiness, that’s precisely who Teddy Littrell seemed to be. And keep in mind this marked just one nursing home stop of several, including another at nearby Silver Oaks Health Campus on Central Avenue. Donors, after all, flooded the Littrells with more than 500 pairs of hosiery, socking it to grief in a most dramatic way, thanks to reach of Facebook and more.
The student also donated socks to the Columbus North and Columbus East high schools’ food pantries to be shared with students in need, plus the outreach for Southside Elementary’s struggling student families.
“I just like the idea of making other people happy at Christmas,” Teddy Littrell said. “I was shocked the first time we actually counted all the socks (in a spare room at home).”
Jessica Deaver works as Willow Crossing’s social service director. Deaver was tickled when the family and friends dropped in.
“Not every one of the residents always can afford to buy a lot of stuff,” Deaver said. “And the meaning of these gifts — what’s really behind them — is also important.”
Becky Smith, daughter of Willow Crossing resident Grace Veluzat, mentioned that just the youngsters’ visit means plenty to the residents, who sometimes can be forgotten by others.
“This means the world to them — especially because this involves kids,” Smith said. “And these residents love little kids. And, really, they love almost any attention.”
So much so, in fact, that many of the residents applauded the young people’s kindness and generosity at the Christmas party. One resident even kissed one of the pint-sized visitors.
“All this makes us feel like we’re really part of the community,” said Willow Crossing resident Ada McNulty. “And it’s so wonderful seeing these young people willing to do this.”
For now, the family figures they will coordinate the same such giving next year. In fact, Teddy Littrell’s older brother, Carson Littrell, already is considering making it his senior project at Columbus North.
“And we still have some socks left over,” said Regan Littrell, Teddy Littrell’s mom. “So we already have a little bit of a head start.”
Not to mention some headway toward fighting the holiday gloom that had crept over them.
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"I just like the idea of making other people happy at Christmas."
— Teddy Littrell
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