Pierrefonds students knit gifts for homeless youth at Christmas

Third grade students in Kristy Westlake's classat St. Charles Elementary School in Pierrefondsare buzzing with excitement about Christmas but this year, it's not about the gifts they hope to receive, but the gifts they're making for strangers.

The class is knitting scarves to donate to Dans La Rue.

"Our teacher was our inspiration to do this," said eight-year-old Sydney Gardner.

"Instead of spending money for toys for her and her husband and her kids, they spend the Christmas money on stuff for little kids ... that don't have homes or families," she said.

Fewer gifts at home

Westlake'sapproach to the holidays turns away from buying andinstead,towardkindness.

She applies it to both her family and work lifethroughthe knitting project.

She buys one or two gifts for her sons, Kyle, 8, and Lucas, 5, and the rest of the family's Christmas budget is spent on what Westlake calls, "Christmas acts of kindness."

Westlake said her extended family is generous and that in the past, Christmases often felt over-the-top, including shopping that started as early as July.

"We definitely found ourselves in this vortex of commercialism," Westlake said.

"We would spend the entire day, 'unwrap, unwrap, unwrap' there was no time to play ... and it got to the point where I didn't enjoy Christmas at all," she said.

Santa still shows up at her sonsgrandparents' house, but Westlake and her husband have dramatically reduced their gift buying and they do not exchange gifts with each other.

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Christmas acts of kindness

The family'sfirst Christmas act of kindness was putting candy canes on cars parked at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

Westlake remembers the stress she felt when her youngest son was treated there regularly, for nearly four years.

"He had a fever every day for three and a half years so it was a very emotional connection for us," she said.

During his treatment, Westlake and her husband would leave the hospital feeling "terrified, scared, tired, anxious, overwhelmed," she said.

She hopes the candy canes,250 this year,and the short Christmas message they place on cars will bring "a little joy after what I can only imagine would have been a tough moment in [parents'] lives."

Her family's other acts of kindness include preparing packages of toiletries and other necessities for Dans La Rue as well as baking cookies for the local fire and police stations.

This is the firstyear Westlake decided her students could get involved.

"It was a bit daunting," Westlakesaid of learning to knit.

PatriciaAldred, the school's spiritual animator, was willing to teach themand a friend donated the yarn.

At first, Westlakewasn't sure how the students would react but they'vebeen enthusiastic.

The boys and girls are equally interested, often asking to stay inside during recess to advance their progress on the scarves.

The students' families are feeling the effects of Westlake'sChristmas kindness.

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One parent emailed Westlake to say her daughter announced she doesn't want presents for Christmas, she wants money to buy toys for kids in Sri Lanka.

"That's the only reason we do any of it, so that other people can do more."