"It's so nice to see their names and what they want," Grace Lee said. "But then you get to actually meet them and see them open their gifts. You get to put a name and a face together. I feel like it's really personal. It's not like you don't get to know where the gifts are going or personally give them. I think one of the best things about this event is that you get to do it in person, and we do it all as an Islander family."
The touching evening was special as the wives and girlfriends got to witness the gleeful holiday spirit and tears of joy unfolding from the nearly 20 families who were selected to receive holiday gifts for their children, share dinner together and even receive a surprise visit from Santa Claus himself.
"Holiday times are very stressful for families," FCA representative Donna Teichmer said. "But when they know we're able to bring the holiday season to them they are able to look forward to it. Without that, some families find it hard to embrace the holidays."
Instagram from @ny\_islanders: So much holiday cheer! 😊 #Isles wives and girlfriends partnered with @FCA\_daily and adopted families in need for the night to give them a Christmas experience they'll never forget! 🎁💙 #HockeyWithAHeart
For the wives and girlfriends, the event is particularly meaningful as they get to see the process out beginning to end. The prep for the night begins with a list of names of the family they adopted and a detailed compilation of what the children would like for the holidays. The wives and girlfriends then shop for the gifts themselves, wrap them and bring them to the event before spending the evening meeting the families and watching the pure exuberance that radiates from the child's face as they unwrap the gift.
The night was special for Lauren Eberle, who will be wrapping gifts for her own little one next year as her and her husband Jordan are expecting their first child this March.
"Each of us adopted a family," Eberle said. "We got the names of the kids, what they were asking for and some things for the holidays. Some of the things are things they need like backpacks and shoes and some things that they like. Everyone bought for their families, wrapped them all up and we got to celebrate together. It's the most important thing. It's lovely seeing all of these kids all of these ages. I know every single gift is going to make their days. I want to give what we can give to our kids. That's the best part."
