Even with temperatures in the upper 40s and a light rain falling, families soldier on, huddling under blankets, umbrellas and even the odd tent Saturday in a zig-zagging line outside the Brownsville Police Department station on 6th Street.
Christmas music blares from nearby speakers while volunteers distribute hot chocolate to ward off the chill to the grateful throng.
In the crowd is a palpable thrum of anticipation as everyone watches the minutes tick closer to 8:30 a.m. when the doors will open, and the annual toy giveaway by the Brownsville Police Department returns.
In triumph over the weather, Maria Bonilla stands with her four daughters and 12 grandchildren at the head of the line. According to one daughter, Beatriz Luna, Bonilla has been waiting here since 6 a.m. on Dec. 16.
It has been a cold and wet vigil as the cold front came in, but Luna says with pride that for maybe a decade, her mother has always been able to claim one of the coveted spots at the front of the line.
“Every year, she is here and always one of the first ones,” Luna said.
Further back in the line, Nancy Cervantes waits with her three sisters, sister-in-law and their collective eight children. The family has been here since 1 a.m., with the sisters taking turns waiting in line or staying with the children sleeping in their car. This year they hope to get a bicycle for one of the older boys.
“For us, it’s a tradition because my mom would bring us when we were small. It will be a new tradition for the kids since this is only the second year we’ve brought them,” Cervantes said.
The much-beloved event resumed the traditional format this year at the station after the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic led organizers to convert the event format to a drive-through or into several smaller events to comply with safety precautions and regulations in past years.
This year at least 2,000 children will walk through the station doors to pick out their toy for Christmas and experience a magical morning with Blue Santa with holiday treats and goodies.
According to Investigator Martin Sandoval, the public information officer for the Brownsville Police Department, the giveaway is a labor of love that takes a year to put together as the department fundraises, meets with donors and plans out the event on a grand scale for the community.
“There’s no way we can plan this in a week, month or even half a year,” he said.
Even as volunteers are busy at work passing out toys on Saturday, the wheels are already in motion for next year.
For the department, Sandoval says, seeing the station full of children again during the holiday season is a welcome return this year after the uncertain early years of the pandemic for the event.
“It’s very special to us, and the community, to see that we are returning to being normal. I think it gives hope that we can, someday, be out of the danger of COVID-19. If we can bring a piece of normality back for a moment for the community, then we’ve done our job,” he said.
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